Zeref's Second Coming
by Pcano94
Summary: AU. Killing Natsu Ravenwood's mother, Cynthia Ravenwood, daughter of Zeref, was one of the worst mistakes committed by the Magic Council. Hundreds of years later, they will reap what they sowed as Natsu shakes the world down to its core as "Zeref's Second Coming". Godlike!Dark!Natsu x Harem.
1. Prologue: Birth of a Monster

**_Hello, everyone!  
><em>**

**_Here is my newest story! I was having a bit of trouble with the prologue at the beginning, but I received a massive surge of inspiration yesterday and I bolted it all down! Yes, I wrote this entire prologue in a day! I didn't edit it, so if you may, please point out any mistakes I made in a review. _**

**_This will be a Dark Natsu story, with the pairing being a harem. As for the size of the harem, it will not be big. I can't imagine having 20 women loving you at the same time, or wanting to be with you. The absolute maximum is still hazy at the moment, so I'll wait till a few chapters are posted to give you an almost exact number. _**

**_Anyways, onto the story!_**

**_Please read and review! _**

**_Enjoy!_**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, its rights or any of its characters, spells, locations, etc. These belong to the one and only Hiro Mashima. I only own my OCs, my spells, etc. Any resemblance to anything or anyone, either living or dead, is purely coincidental. Also, this work is purely meant for non-profit entertainment.**

Hello " "= **Dialogue**

**Requip " "= Spells, Magical Item Names and Non-Human Speech  
><strong>

_What? ' ' = _**Thoughts**

* * *

><p><span><strong><em>Zeref's Second Coming<em>**

**Chapter 1: Prologue: Birth of a Monster**

Flames…

Flames were everywhere, overwhelming the air with oxygen-depraving smoke. Supportive beams were collapsing, bringing down even more of the small house of Cynthia and Natsu Ravenwood.

Why was it happening?

Simple… Cynthia Ravenwood and Natsu Ravenwood were the respective daughter and grandson of the darkest wizard of all time… Zeref.

Just because of that simple fact, they were mercilessly persecuted by the fledgling Magic Council, always using the pretext of preventing "Zeref's Second Coming". For that reason, the Ravenwood never spent too much time in a single location, moving from place to place almost every year.

It had almost become a habit. Spend close to a year in one place, and then move in the darkness of the night to escape the Magic Council's clutches and find a new home. It was a dismal lifestyle… especially for the perpetually sick Natsu Ravenwood…

Now, though, was different…

Somehow, the Magic Council had found them much earlier than before and attacked them on August 8th, Year X465… Natsu's ninth birthday…

Cynthia rushed out through the backdoor of her house into the nearby forest. Close behind her were scores of wizards of the Magic Council, screaming for her to surrender and firing off a plethora of spells. Held tightly in her arms was her baby boy Natsu, who was coughing feverishly while asleep.

She cursed herself for letting her guard down… for thinking that in this new hideout they would finally be able to find peace…

She almost chuckled mirthlessly at the irony… What started off as a beautiful day, ideal for celebrating her son's birthday, ended up becoming an absolute nightmare, full of murderously-driven wizards vying to end her baby's life.

She knew why… Her son was born with an incredible amount of magical energy, higher than anything she had ever felt in her life. It was even higher than hers at her current level.

She wasn't as accomplished a wizard as her father Zeref, contrary to popular belief. She was a B-Class wizard in her family's power scale… just hitting average power; her father, though, was beyond SSS-Class level… a Millennial Prodigy.

However, according to the Magic Council, what was considered an average B-Class wizard in the Ravenwood Power Scale was easily ranked S-Class or beyond in the former's power scale… a massive threat…

Natsu, according to the Ravenwood Power Scale, was born with magical reserves easily exceeding an A-Rank wizard, placing him right under her father Zeref in the Magic Council's threat scale. And it hadn't stopped increasing…

Now… his magical reserves were bordering on SS-Class level, and he was only nine years old! It defied logic! Two Millennial Prodigies were never born in the same millennia… the simple thought was completely outrageous! Yet, it was happening before her eyes…

Natsu… her baby boy… was steadily becoming the next Millennial Prodigy… one that could even surpass her own _father_… and there was nothing she could do to stem the growth for his safety.

However, something was inherently wrong with Natsu. Instead of releasing the magical energy into the environment like all magical beings, his magical energy was stuck inside him, entrenched in the confines of his small body, resulting in what she called a "Magic Cold", a condition that had all the symptoms of a common cold.

She dreaded the day when his magical energy reached its breaking point. Much like a dam breaking with the overflow of water, the potential effects of Natsu's magical energy breaking out were most likely going to be catastrophic…

_'__Such a fate… my baby Natsu… Such a poorly dealt hand in life…'_ she thought as she went deeper into the forest.

However, to her growing dread and horror, the voices of the wizards were not dimming… they were getting louder…

_'__Oh no… they're getting closer… I… I have to distract them…' _she thought gravely. _'Natsu… my baby… please… forgive this foolish woman for not being strong enough to truly protect you…'_

"Live, Natsu…" she voiced, kissing his forehead while gently laying him at the base of a tree. Burning tears leaked from her beautiful gray eyes. She prayed to any and every god she knew that her son would not wake up to witness her departure.

But, alas… fate had other plans…

"Mommy?"

'_Oh God, please don't do this to me… No… Oh God, no…'_

"Mommy?" the high-pitched voice of Natsu rang once again, before succumbing to a fit of coughs. "W-Where… are you… going?"

The yelling of the wizards was ever closer now, and she couldn't, for the love of everything that was holy, come up with an acceptable explanation for her sudden departure.

"We're celebrating you birthday… remember, sweetie…?" Cynthia replied, finally coming up with a good excuse. She grabbed her son's shoulders and caressed his round face, staring into his silver eyes.

"But why in the middle of the forest?" he innocently asked.

"Ah, well… we're going to play hide and seek!" she shakily answered, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

"Really?! Cool!" he exclaimed happily, before coughing again. "But… why are you crying?"

_'__Crap… he noticed in this darkness? Such keen eyes…'_ Cynthia complimented mentally, half-heartedly.

The shouting was getting closer, further increasing her dread.

She had to hurry…

"I was only remembering the times we celebrated your birthday… that's all," Cynthia lied quickly. "Now, go hide, sweetie. I'll count to 100, okay?"

"Alright! You'll never find me, mommy!" Natsu cheerily taunted. He quickly lunged forward and kissed her cheek before running deeper into the forest.

"Stay safe, my baby…" Cynthia whispered, caressing the spot he kissed as footsteps thumped on the forest ground, scrambling straight towards her.

"Found you… Cynthia Ravenwood…" called out a male voice. The scrambling footsteps came to a halt, signaling the arrival of the rest of the group.

"So… the prodigal daughter finally decides to greet us properly…" another male voice sneered.

Cynthia, steeling her resolve and adopting an indifferent expression, turned and faced her addressor. Surprise hit her. There was no multitude… There were only two wizards… two undoubtedly powerful wizards she knew all too well…

Once again, year after year, it was _that_ man and his sidekick that chased after them, wanting to ruin what could've been a peaceful existence…

"It's been a while… Melkior Dreyar… Pelman Milkovich…"

…

Natsu was sitting at the base of one of the tallest trees he found, looking positively giddy. He and his mommy were playing hide and seek again! They hadn't played ever since he was seven, and he missed playing with his mommy…

"Hmm, it's been 10 minutes already! Mommy should've found me by now!" he whined to nobody in particular, crossing his arms and pouting rather cutely. He paused, coughing slightly. "She's so good at finding me… It's like she knows where I hide! I wish I could be as good as mommy…"

Little did he know… he was being watched…

In the shadows of a tree not even five meters away from Natsu, the shadow of a man watched closely, gauging the child's every move. He patiently waited with bated breath for the perfect time to strike and take the kid to the boss. He would get rewarded nicely…

Finding the perfect moment, the man slowly walked forward, his right hand extended and ready to take the child to his impending doom…

Hearing a branch snap, Natsu turned around, only to scream…

…

**"****Thunder Cannon!"**

A large, lightning orb shot from Cynthia's hands, headed straight towards the Dreyar-Milkovich duo.

"That was close…" Melkior muttered disdainfully, having barely evaded the blast. As much as he hated to admit it, Cynthia Ravenwood was a powerful wizard, very much so…

"Oi, Pelman, how are things holding up on your end?" he yelled over the ensuing explosion of lightning.

"Barely standing my ground, Dreyar! We have to take her down! And fast!" Pelman hastily replied, launching a silent fireball.

"I know, Pelman! I know!" Melkior retorted. Turning to Cynthia, he asked, "Cynthia Ravenwood, we won't get anywhere if we keep this up. Just tell us where the child is and we'll leave you alone…"

"Do you honestly believe me to be so _naïve_?!" Cynthia shouted back, gritting her teeth in anger. "I'd rather die than tell you the whereabouts of _my son_!"

Why couldn't they understand? All she ever wanted was to be left alone, so she could raise her son in peace. Why couldn't they grant her that! Before Natsu was born, she had _sworn_ to the Magic Council that she held no ill will towards them for the defeat and subsequent death of her father! And they had promised to leave her be!

And now… that promise ended up being hollow…

Melkior sighed in slight defeat. "It seems we have no other choice…"

As if on cue, a childlike scream rang throughout the forest…

Cynthia's eyes widened astronomically, her blood turning into ice… That voice was unmistakable… It was… Natsu…

_'__No…'_

Spinning on her heels, Cynthia rushed in the direction of the scream.

"NATSU!"

"Forgive me… Cynthia… But it has to be done…" Melkior whispered sadly.

**"****Chain!"**

Out of his right hand, bright white chains shot towards Cynthia and wrapped themselves tightly around her body, constricting her movement completely.

Screaming in frustration, Cynthia pushed forward and fell to the ground, unable to move and quickly losing her strength. Tears rolled out of her eyes, staining the ground with her grief and frustration at being unable to do anything for her son…

"Why?" she managed to ask before being ransacked by sobs.

"Hmm?"

"Why are you doing this?" Cynthia clarified, turning and glaring at him spitefully. "What does a mercenary working for the Magic Council get from delivering an innocent child to his death?"

Melkior opened his mouth to reply, but found that he couldn't utter even a single syllable. He closed his eyes and bowed his head, sighing deeply.

"Come… I'll loosen your chains…" Melkior spoke, carefully evading the question.

"You haven't answered my question, Melkior Dreyar…" Cynthia retorted.

"Oi, Dreyar, what are you doing?" asked Pelman, but he was ignored.

"I… I have to do it… or they'll kill _my _family…" Melkior began, kneeling down beside Cynthia and loosening his magical chains. "At first I thought it was easy. I mean, just damn another family to keep mine safe. What father wouldn't do such a thing? Those were my first thoughts…"

"And now?" Cynthia prompted, flexing her body slightly.

"Now… I don't know what to do…" he replied shaking his head. "It's…"

"OI, DREYAR! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" shouted Pelman. "You don't have to explain anything to this scum! We are so close to delivering these two to the Magic Council and get their bounty! Don't you dare go soft on me now!"

"Pelman, will you SHUT UP!" roared Melkior. He turned to Cynthia. Brown and gray met for a while… one expectant, the other hesitant.

After a period of hesitation, Melkior sighed in frustration. "Screw this… I won't stand and watch a mother and son die… I would not be able to face _my_ wife and son if I allow this to happen…"

With a simple wave of his hand, the chains dissipated. Cynthia, through her tear-streaked face, managed to smile slightly.

Pelman stood there, his mouth agape. He couldn't believe his eyes. The ever-righteous Melkior Dreyar was siding with _Zerefian scum_…

"W-What a-are you d-doing?!" Pelman stuttered.

"Stopping senseless murder…" was all Melkior said before helping Cynthia to her feet and walking towards her burned home.

…

"Let me go, you big meanie!" shouted Natsu, slamming his tiny fists as he was being carried away from the forest into the vicinity of his now burned home. His captor, a large, well-muscled man with a large scar on his face, brown hair and a slanted nose, only grunted in annoyance, not even feeling the child's strikes.

"Oi, you brat, shut it! You're pissing me off!" he retorted.

"I DON'T CARE!" Natsu screamed before coughing violently.

"Put him down, Halfasth…" ordered a mellow voice. "Well done… Now to wait for this… _creature's_ mother…"

"Yes, of course… Master Strauss…"

Halfasth unceremoniously dumped Natsu on the rough ground, causing him to cry out in pain.

"OWW! That hurt, you… you… BASTARD!" he screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Aww… poor baby's hurting?" cooed Halfasth tauntingly.

"Dude… that's creepy," muttered Natsu uncharacteristically. Halfasth gaped at him while Strauss chuckled lightly, caressing his white hair. The burly man began to seethe in anger, and was about to sock the young boy, but Strauss halted him with a single raised hand.

"I'll kill you, you brat!" Halfasth roared.

"Now, now, Halfasth… keep your hands to yourself. The boy will die, but before his mother…" Strauss patiently stated.

Natsu's eyes widened…

"Mommy? Where's my mommy?!" Natsu demanded, glaring at the white-haired man.

"NATSU!"

Natsu's face brightened exponentially at the sound of his precious mommy's voice. Out of the forest she rushed out, accompanied by a short, blond-haired man and a tall, navy-blue-haired man right behind her.

"Halt where you are… now…" ordered Strauss sternly, pointing a finger at the nine-year-old boy. "Or the boy dies…"

And halt they did…

Cynthia only stared, gritting her teeth while Melkior had a stern expression on his face. Pelman, however, had a small smirk on his face.

"Melkior Dreyar," addressed Strauss formally. "What is the meaning of this… this betrayal to the Magic Council? Explain yourself…"

"This is a family of _people_ you are about to kill, Councilman Strauss…" Melkior explained, lifting his hands in an attempt to stall the white-haired councilman.

"You consider these atrocities people? Surely you jest, Melkior Dreyar…" Strauss scoffed, glancing disdainfully at Cynthia and Natsu.

"I do not, Councilman Strauss…" began Melkior.

"Are you willing to pass off the grievous crimes committed by the father of these two?" Strauss asked calmly. "Earth Land is barely recovering from the Dragon Civil War orchestrated by him!"

"The crimes of the father are not the crimes of the descendants, Mervian Strauss!" Melkior shouted.

"SILENCE!" Mervian roared, a bright orb of red flames appearing on the tip of his finger.

"NO!" Cynthia screamed, rushing forward.

"Cynthia, wait!"

It happened so fast…

The moment Mervian was going to release the fireball and burn Natsu into oblivion, a purple beam pierced through Cynthia's chest.

Her eyes widened as she gasped, blood pouring out of her wound and mouth. Painstakingly slowly she turned her head, just to see Pelman looking at her with a maniacal smirk.

_"__N-Natsu…"_

She fell to the ground and moved no more…

"CYNTHIA!"

Melkior rushed to her, only to be pierced by the same purple beam through the abdomen. He fell to his knees, holding his bleeding wound.

_"__Damn you… Pelman…"_ he groaned painfully.

"How troublesome…" began Pelman as he walked over to Melkior's prone body. "I told you not to go soft on me, and you did… Pitiful…"

Directing him towards Mervian, he spoke, "I suppose this simplifies things, right? Kill the boy and let us go. I upheld my end of the deal. I need that money…"

Mervian only grunted in response before turning and looking at the grief-stricken face of Natsu Ravenwood…

"M-Mommy?"

…

Time stopped for Natsu… as well as his blood flow…

In front of him was his mother, motionless, with blood flowing out of her and staining the ground…

"Mommy?"

No response whatsoever…

"Mommy?"

Once again, no response…

He called out to her incessantly, hoping for any response from his mother. Tears began to gather in his eyes, full of terror and grief.

Somewhere, deep in his mind, he knew… he knew that his mother was… was… dead…

"There's nothing you can do… She's dead… and you will join her soon…" a derisive voice spoke to him… "Goodbye… _Zerefian scum_…"

Natsu's eyes glazed. He could see a fireball heading towards him, and he was nowhere near fast enough to dodge it…

This was it… he was going to die… He was going to be with his mommy again…

Let it be…

But, the dam broke…

…

Nothing could ever prepare Halfasth, Mervian Strauss, Pelman Milkovich and Melkior Dreyar for what was happening before them. On their knees the first three were, suffocating due to the sheer magical energy released by this perpetually sick child. The last only lay on the ground, his eyes astronomically wide.

An immense pillar of swirling black and red magical energy surrounded Natsu, with an ear-splitting scream to add to its eeriness.

Immense black clouds gathered near the pillar, unleashing gale-force winds that uprooted trees and quickly snuffed out the burning pile of wood that was his house. Black lightning struck at the ground around him, almost as if it were ritually dancing. The ground cracked, with tons of debris rising up into the air and disintegrated by the magical vortex, creating a crater thrice as large as the vortex.

Without so much as a warning, a wide, black beam shot from the vortex, eviscerating Halfasth before completely disintegrating him. The giant vortex then disappeared, revealing Natsu Ravenwood with a blazing black aura surrounding him.

Cold, crushing fear gripped the bodies of Mervian Strauss, Pelman Milkovich, and Melkior Dreyar. This was the reason the Magic Council sought to end the boy's life… or so the first two thought. He was a monster… and this only served to prove it.

Before they could even register it, Natsu was in front of Pelman, a finger pointed at his chest. Faster than a blinking eye, the same black beam that annihilated Halfasth shot through Pelman, disintegrating him as well…

**"****Flaming Judgment!"**

With a complex weaving of his hands, Mervian shot a lance of pure flames at Natsu, striking him directly. Natsu screamed in pain and was sent flying back, but it wasn't enough to stop him. Natsu shot forward, without so much as a scratch and shot three black beams at Mervian.

Deftly evading them, Mervian pointed an open palm at the boy.

**"****Electrocution's Sentence!"**

A multitude of small, blue lightning bolts arced from the whitehead's hand as they surrounded the young boy.

Paying them no mind, Natsu surged forward, getting relentlessly shocked. But the pain did not register in his senses. Something was preventing him from feeling pain, and it only egged him further.

Mervian could only stare with wide eyes as one of his most powerful attacks was simply brushed off as if it were nothing… by a _mere boy_…

A deeper fear ran through his body, his blood running cold. There was no way he could win…

No… there was…

Even if it was a sacrificial technique, he knew it was powerful enough to destroy that demon brat! He would be regarded as a hero! The one who brought down the last of the Ravenwood!

Raising both his hands up, Mervian began to gather energy at an astonishing pace, since the enraged boy was rapidly approaching. When he had gathered enough, he began to laugh… maniacally…

"This is the end… _boy!"_

"RAAAAGGGGHHH!"

**"****Heavenly Lament: Doom Lightning Incarceration!"**

A bright flash of light ensued, followed by giant pillars of crackling lightning landing in a circular pattern around the pair. When Natsu touched Mervian's face, the lightning cage collapsed unto itself and caused a massive explosion that swallowed everything in sight…

…

The light cleared… Mervian was on his knees, his breathing ragged. Natsu was nowhere to be seen, but that wasn't what struck him oddly at the beginning. The trees that had survived Natsu's violent release were still standing, when he knew that his sacrificial spell would have completely disintegrated them. Hell, even Melkior and Cynthia were still there, completely unharmed… well, as unharmed as they could be, considering they were both gutted by Pelman.

His eyes widened in horror when he heard steady breathing a few feet in front of him.

Natsu was alive and well… and worst of all… completely unharmed…

"No… how can this be?!" he gasped as tried and failed to move away. "That was my strongest spell! How could you have survived that?!"

Natsu did not respond. He only walked forward, with his eyes closed and his index finger pointed straight a Mervian.

He didn't even get a chance to scream as the black beam of death pierced his gut, killing him instantly…

Melkior could only look in total, utter shock. This… _boy_, if he could be called that… had singlehandedly defeated two of the most powerful wizards he knew without receiving a single scratch! He could only shudder in fear as he imagined what the future could bring for Natsu Ravenwood in terms of power. He could easily surpass Zeref himself!

However, his thoughts were abruptly interrupted by the darkness that was overtaking him…

The last thing he saw were hateful, tear-streaked, blood-red eyes…

…

Gingerly closing his old diary while adjusting his wide-frame glasses, Melkior could only look at the ceiling in grave contemplation. He still wondered why Natsu Ravenwood let him live… but, he knew he was never going to find the answer to that question…

Remembering those hateful red eyes only managed to send massive shivers down his spine. It was a look a young boy should never have, no matter who it was…

Now, 20 years later, in his deathbed, Melkior Dreyar came to a conclusion.

_'__The Magic Council committed a grave mistake… They deprived that boy of a mother's love, and created the very thing they were trying to prevent... Now the world shall cower before the might of "Zeref's Second Coming"… and I fear nothing will be able to stop him…'_

…

* * *

><p><em><strong>There's chapter one, or the prologue of "Zeref's Second Coming"! I hope you enjoyed this and look forward to the upcoming chapters! <strong>_

_**I will be posting a poll later on the women you would like to see in the harem. The ladies receiving the most votes will be prioritized. However, that does not mean they will be in the harem. It will help me guide the story in the appropriate direction when I do decide who will be in the harem.**_

_**Thank you for reading!**_

_**Please! Review, review, review!**_

_**Until next time! Ciao!**_


	2. Natsu Ravenwood: 319 Years Later

_**Hello, everyone!**_

_**Back I am with chapter 2 of "Zeref's Second Coming"! I am honestly amazed at the staggering amount of favorites and followers I got from my first chapter! It's incredible! Thanks for the support guys! It really motivates me! **_

_**If you haven't noticed yet, chapters for this story will be shorter than "The Holy Trinity's" monstrosities, and I'm even considering shortening them as well. Therefore, you can expect faster updating for this story as well as the other. **_

_**My poll for the harem is already up. I have put the amount of choices up to eight. That's the decided maximum number I will have for the harem. As it is right now, almost everyone wants Ultear in the harem... **_

_**Anyways, onto the story!**_

_**Please read and review!**_

_**Enjoy!**_

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, its rights or any of its characters, spells, locations, etc. These belong to the one and only Hiro Mashima. I only own my OCs, my spells, etc. Any resemblance to anything or anyone, either living or dead, is purely coincidental. Also, this work is purely meant for non-profit entertainment.**

Hello " "= **Dialogue**

**Requip " "= Spells, Magical Item Names and Non-Human Speech  
><strong>

_What? ' ' = _**Thoughts**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 2: Natsu Ravenwood: 319 Years Later<strong>

December 15th, Year X784…

Natsu Ravenwood watched expressionlessly on a tree's canopy as explosions rocked the landscape of Tenrou Island… his home…

He had grown nicely in the past 319 years…

He stood at a tall six feet, with a slender, speedy, yet powerful build. His black hair was a tad longer, and a lot spikier.

He wore all black. Black shirt, black pants, black shoes… everything was black. The only thing that held another color was his long coat, which held the Ravenwood Family Crest on the back, stitched in a blood-red color.

The crest…?

A gothic letter "R" with devil-like wings sprouting from its side, a draconian all-seeing eye above it, and an open tome underneath it… Rather fitting…

However, the most captivating aspect about Natsu Ravenwood… was his eyes…

They were pale silver, like the full moon on a starless night. Exuding the raw power and confidence of a man with a purpose, wisdom beyond his apparent age, and the innocence of a child filled with endless dreams, one could not help but be mesmerized by them…

It especially worked with the fairer sex… much to his chagrin…

However, right now, he couldn't help but be angered by the sight before him…

It wasn't because of the landscape being reassembled by the war between Fairy Tail, a guild he had been hearing about ever since he had inhabited the island around 70 years ago, and Grimoire Heart, a guild _he_ literally _created_ by manipulating its current master and former master of Fairy Tail, Precht, now known as Hades.

No… it wasn't because of that… not at all…

It was because somehow, someway, the supposed strongest wizards of Grimoire Heart, the Seven Kin of Purgatory, were being slowly but surely defeated by the "weakling" fairies!

He was angered by Precht's incompetence! He tasked the old man to gather young brats with strong potential, teach them powerful **Lost Magic**, and give him yearly reports of the progress made. And he succeeded!

But, in their first real test, those brats were being defeated by normal magic wielders! Well, there were a few **Lost Magic** users among the fairies, and all of them were Dragon Slayers…

But still, it enraged him that they were losing!

Well… not really…

In reality, he didn't give a rat's ass about any of the members. It was only Precht's incompetence that angered him…

The only members in Grimoire Heart that caught his attention, if at all, were the leader of the group, Ultear, a young girl born near Brago with abnormally high magical energy and wielder of the intriguing **Arc of Time**, and Meredy, a girl from a town he didn't remember with nigh equal magical energy at birth and wielder of **Maguilty Sense**. But, according to the Ravenwood Power Scale, Ultear was barely low A-Class, while Meredy was high B-Class… just above average…

However, he knew that they still held untapped potential… potential to even get them to high A-Class in the R.P.S., possibly even higher. But, for now, they were still _worlds_ below him, already being high SSS-Class when using _that_…

But, even _he_ would not be able to hold a candle to his grandfather… were he still alive…

Natsu was actually thankful that he had Deliora raze Brago down to the ground in one of his test runs. If not, he would not have found a nice, pretty puppet to manipulate in Ultear…

As for Meredy… She was just an added bonus…

The entirety of Grimoire Heart was under his command…

But, of course, they didn't know it… only Hades did.

All they knew was that Hades had delegated them the noble task of unsealing his grandfather for the creation of the **Grand Magic World**…

The fools… All of them…

Good thing he had Tartarus as a backup… Those demons would surely be able to get stuff done efficiently… especially that END guy his grandfather created.

Natsu had spent the last 150 years trying to emulate his grandfather's genius in the creation of that Flame Etherious. However, the closest he ever got to creating an Etherious close to END in terms of power were Lullaby and Deliora… but they were both killed by Fairy Tail Wizards!

Oh, he also created **Nemesis**, but that didn't really count in his opinion…

It was a good thing he revealed and proved himself to be the last bearer of Zeref's legacy to the Etherious. Their loyalty bordered on fanaticism, and when they found out, they literally threw themselves at his feet… especially the females.

He found that trait rather useful…

…

_Natsu climbed up the rocky terrain of what seemed to be a rather tall mountain outside of Fiore… Sure, he could've easily teleported to the top of the mountain, but he didn't want to alert the inhabitants… yet…_

_But… he knew better than to think this was an average mountain…_

_In fact, this mountain was not a mountain at all! Rather it was a rather ingenious floating object called "__**The Cube**__". _

_It amused him slightly, pointing out mentally that "__**The Cube**__" did not look like a cube at all at this moment. _

_It was when he climbed up a rather steep ledge that he saw his destination… _

_To quote what his grandfather had written in one of his old books, it was a "sickening piece of architecture". The castle was enormous… even from a distance, Natsu could deduce that. It had spikes protruding upwards from almost every point on the castle's roof, and it looked rather old. The stone it was built with had aged rather well. All in all, this was Natsu's cup of tea. _

_"__Why such a big castle for less than 50 members?" wondered Natsu nonchalantly._

_Stopping in front a pair of large, black wooden doors, Natsu closed his eyes, expanding his senses…_

_Yup, they were there… all 10 of them. _

_Smirking slightly, Natsu pushed both doors open and walked in as if he owned the place. _

_The place was just as depressing on the inside as the outside. It was dark, dingy, and it smelled of old age, if that was even a smell… Circular pillars were spread out evenly throughout the entrance hall, each with four skull-like decorations at the top of each one. The floor was mostly checkered, with its only design resting at what seemed to be the center of the hall. _

_"__Oi… You know it's rude not to knock," called out a rough, yet distinctly female voice from above him. _

_He stopped dead in his tracks. However, he never made a motion to signal that he had heard her. All he did was look around the hall… at eight specific locations. He then looked at a ninth one, and stopped there… eerily calm… _

_There were no fluctuations in his magical energy whatsoever… In fact, his magical energy couldn't be sensed at all…_

_"__I need you to relay this message to your current leader, Mard Geer," Natsu requested, still not looking in her direction._

_A sharp intake of breath pierced the ensuing silence…_

_Without so much as a warning, a soft thud echoed in front of him and he felt a hand grip his throat. _

_"__How do you know our current leader's name?!" the woman demanded, finally showing her face._

_If he could describe her in just one word, it would be "beautiful". _

_Well… as beautiful as a demon can get with two large gold-looking horns protruding upwards on the sides of her head… _

_Her long wavy hair was a black as his, and it contrasted perfectly with her light skin. Her eyes were black. She had a white band separating her hair and a small, strange circular symbol with a dot in the center, surrounded by dots at the top on her forehead. She had a white strap on her neck…_

_Wearing a _very_ revealing leopard-themed kimono that showcased her very curvaceously gifted body and thigh-length socks that showed her heels and toes, the female Etherious was indeed demonically beautiful… no pun intended. _

_When Natsu didn't answer, she tightened her grip._

_"__Answer me, human… Where did you hear Lord Mard Geer's name?" she demanded, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "If you don't, your miserably short story will end here!"_

_"__You know… _Sayla_…" began Natsu, his eyes closed. The newly revealed Sayla's eyes widened. "Manhandling _his_ legacy is disrespectful towards him…"_

_"__W-What?!" she stammered, releasing her grip on him and taking a few steps back. Noticing that he had no marks where she had gripped him, her eyes widened further._

_"__You must be thinking something along the lines of, 'How could there be no mark, when my grip was strong enough to decimate a human's throat?'… Am I correct?" Natsu asked, opening his eyes and flashing a small, knowing smile. _

_Now, Sayla's eyes were as wide as they could go. How could he have guessed what she was thinking right down to the exact word?_

_"__H-How?" she stuttered, a fearful edge in her tone. _

_"__Now that would be telling, Sayla…" Natsu smoothly replied, walking closer to her._

_"__What did you mean by _his_ legacy?" she asked. _

_"__Oh, for that I would need Mard Geer to be present. Please let him know that I'm requesting an audience…" Natsu said offhandedly, finally locking eyes with her._

_It worked like a charm… Sayla was completely mesmerized by his eyes…_

_So mesmerized she was that she did not feel her cheeks redden with rushing blood…_

_"__That will not be necessary… as I'm already here…" spoke a smooth, aloof male voice, interrupting the exchange. Out of the shadows, a young man with very long, black shaggy hair tied in a ponytail stepped forward. He wore a dark-colored shirt with a flame-patterned cape torn at the ends, strapped light trousers and dark boots. _

_"__L-Lord Mard G-Geer!" stammered Sayla. _

_Mard Geer made no sign of acknowledging Sayla's presence, preferring to keep his eyes on Natsu._

_"__I heard this commotion from the confines of my room, so I decided to investigate… and I find myself with this… Sayla being intimidated by a lowly human…" Mard Geer drawled calmly. "How… _unbecoming_ of you, my dear Sayla. You must be punished…"_

_He lazily pointed a single finger at her, making her gasp slightly and take a few steps back. _

_"__Wait! Lord Mard Geer!" she pleaded, but to no avail… he was already summoning a strange form of magical energy in his finger._

_But, before Mard Geer could even intone his spell, a hand had grasped his firmly, stopping the attack from reaching completion._

_"__Now now…" Natsu spoke calmly. "Would you hurt a defenseless lady with your __**Curse**__?"_

_Mard Geer's eyes widened in surprise, as well as Sayla's… How could a lowly human sneak up on the "Underworld King" as if it were child's play?_

_"__I see… you've been hiding your true strength… human…"_

_"__Seriously!" Natsu burst out suddenly, losing patience slightly. Somebody like Mard Geer should have _easily_ recognized him! "You cannot see my resemblance to _him_?!"_

_Mard Geer did not respond. All he did was stare at Natsu with a calm expression while Sayla slowly walked behind him._

_"__Fine! If you want me to spell it out. Here!" Natsu exclaimed, releasing an astonishingly massive amount of magical energy, creating a swirling black vortex of magical energy that seemed to expand endlessly. _

_The floor cracked under the massive pressure, debris rising up before being disintegrated on a molecular level. Black lightning began to swirl around him, streaking out and striking the checkered floor of Tartarus. His eyes shifted from the captivating pale silver to the blood-chilling red with a black concentric circle in the pupil._

_Darkness seemed to emanate from him, plunging the area surrounded by his magical energy in an overbearing darkness…_

_Sayla instantly fell to her knees, a look of utter horror on her face. The sheer intensity of the magical power released by this… _human_, if he could be called that, was suffocating her! How could such a lowly human possess such terrifying magical power?! _

_However, it all worsened when she looked at his eyes… those nightmarish, blood-chilling red eyes that seemed to be looking straight at _her_… _

_Overwhelming fear pulsed throughout her body as the eyes seemed to separate from his face and grow ever-larger, bearing their incessant glare of death upon her. She began to shudder violently, whimpering softly in utter hopelessness and despair…_

_How could a _human_ cause such feelings in her?!_

_That was when she realized… this was no _human_…_

_This man… was a _monster_… a _demon_ fished out from the deepest parts of Hell itself and unleashed upon the mortal world…_

_Mard Geer could only stare in shock, his usual calm and arrogant expression faltering slightly, a tinge of fear managing to make its way through his veins. He had severely underestimated this man… _

_To cause _fear_, of _all_ emotions, to rise in the great _Mard Geer_, second in command under _END_ himself, was something only Lord Zeref could do… _

_Wait…_

_His eyes widened greatly…_

_That could be the only explanation... This man… was related to Lord Zeref _himself!

_When he saw the man's eyes, Mard Geer was proven right. Only Lord Zeref possessed eyes as terrifyingly powerful as those… the eyes of a god placed in a mortal body…_

_How could he have been so blind?! Had so much time passed that he had forgotten his dear creator's appearance to the point where he wouldn't recognize it in anyone related to him?! _

_"__Now you see?" asked Natsu, his voice seemingly reverberating from all directions. He lowered his magical output back to the realm of unfeeling, his eyes returning to that pale silver._

_Sayla shakily got up, her eyes still wide in horror, sweat pouring profusely from all over her body. _

_"__May I know your name…?" asked Mard Geer after a long, tense silence. _

_"__Natsu… Natsu Ravenwood," Natsu replied, a small smile forming on his face._

_"__Ravenwood?" repeated Mard Geer, his surprise increasing once again. Sayla finally snapped out of her fear-induced trance and looked at Natsu with wide eyes. _

_"__T-That's-"_

_"__LORD MARD GEER!" _

_A chorus of eight different voices rang out from eight different directions, and suddenly, the trio was surrounded by the rest of the Nine Demon Gates of Tartarus. _

_Natsu paid no mind to them, focusing entirely on Mard Geer and gauging his reaction. The "Underworld King" seemed impassive, but Natsu knew he was analyzing the situation along with its components._

_"__If you are who you say you are, Natsu…" Mard Geer began cautiously. "Could you show us _the conclusive _proof?"_

_"__Ah… yes… Only a true Ravenwood has the capability of wearing the crest anywhere on his body safely…" Natsu commented, taking off his coat and brandishing it in front of him. _

_There, in a blood-red color, was the Ravenwood Family Crest in all of its glory… shocking everyone senseless._

_"__The Ravenwood Family Crest…" muttered Mard Geer softly, answering everyone's unvoiced question. "It seems Lord Zeref's blood still lives on strongly in you…" _

_He kneeled on one knee, surprising everyone greatly. But it was short-lived, as, one by one, the members of the Nine Demon Gates followed suit without argument or question. Mard Geer locked eyes with Natsu._

_"__Tartarus is now at your absolute command… Lord Natsu…"_

_…_

Natsu smiled genuinely at the turnout of events…

Tartarus certainly would be really great assets in his future endeavors… He just knew it…

Why shouldn't he feel that way? They were created by his grandfather, after all, so they obviously were extremely powerful.

With them, he was a step closer to creating _true _peace… _by destroying the Magic Council, along with all guilds affiliated to them_...

He had decided to start with Fairy Tail, just because of a hunch…

That hunch told him that Fairy Tail, in the near future, would cause him a massive amount of trouble… so he possessed Phantom Lord's master, Jose Porla, and started a war with them…

While he had succeeded in eliminating a legal guild with the disbanding of Phantom Lord, he also gave Fairy Tail the resources to grow even stronger than before. And they didn't waste any time, recruiting the Iron Dragon Slayer, Gajeel Redfox, and Juvia Lockser, a member of the "S-Class" Element Four.

He wasn't particularly affected by that one, though. He knew that Phantom Lord was not as powerful as Fairy Tail, so he had decided on weakening them. They had succeeded, but Fairy Tail proved their strength by remaining steadfast and pushing through until the end.

He could easily destroy them himself… but he didn't want to reveal himself to the world that stamped him off as dead…

Not… just… yet…

And now, here he was, overlooking his second attempt at Fairy Tail's destruction, and his expectations were not being met… again…

Now, he was seriously considering just marching forward and annihilating them himself. It would be easy. There were only a handful of mages that could _possibly_ pose a challenge…

It would be a one-sided fairy Armageddon…

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a distinctly female voice uttering his grandfather's name under him. He looked and saw a beautiful, curvaceously voluptuous dark purple-haired woman in a rather peculiar, skintight, sleeveless white battle outfit. It was gold-trimmed, and she had long black sleeves that had large, gray wrist guards below the elbow.

"Where is Lord Zeref?" he heard her mutter. "I need to find him so that we can create that beautiful world! And so I can go back and remedy what I have done wrong!"

_'__Oh? She has other purposes in mind? Not just creating the __**Grand Magic World**__?' _Natsu wondered. _'I see… How ambitious… But! I can take advantage of that… Ultear…'_

Without emitting a single sound, Natsu dropped to the ground behind Ultear. Not even the thud of his landing was heard.

_'__Okay,'_ Natsu thought mischievously. _'Time to act like my grandfather…_'

"I know he was detected by the sensors on the airship," Ultear spoke to herself. "I just need to find a small piece of evidence… just a clue to his exact location… and he will be _mine_-"

"You're looking for me?" Natsu interrupted, taking slow, meaningful steps towards her with his eyes closed. She whirled to his direction, her eyes as wide as they could go. "I see!"

An expression of complete, utter shock that quickly evolved into joy invaded her face, with her jaw slightly slack and her eyes shining with pooled, unshed tears.

"L-Lord… Z-Zeref?" she whispered questioningly. Even though he claimed to be the great dark wizard, she still needed confirmation.

"I am…" Natsu lied, smiling softly as he quickened his pace.

Hook, line, and sinker…

Ultear walked slowly to him, wanting to touch him to make sure he was not an illusion. Her eyes shined with devotion and triumph at finally finding her life's goal.

"You are part of the group that is here searching for me, correct?" Natsu asked, not expecting an answer from her in her trance-like state. However, she managed to nod.

"I see… However, you are laying destruction and death upon my home," Natsu stated, opening his eyes as they turned blood-red. "And that… has made me _very_ angry…"

Ultear froze as a wave of sickeningly dark magical energy pushed down on her. Gasping loudly as her eyes widened in fear, she fell to her knees.

_'__What is this magical pressure? It's so foul and gut-wrenching; it's almost making me faint!' _thought Ultear, her fear rising quickly.

His eyes bore into hers, as if looking into her very soul…

Ultear was almost gone now… The fear was too great for her to bear. She was beginning to lose all capability to form coherent thoughts.

"However," Natsu began, his voice echoing all around her. "You interest me, Ultear…"

_'__He knows my name?!'_ Ultear thought frantically, managing to recover a sliver of her quickly fading sanity. _'How?!'_

"And for that… you must die…" he sentenced, conjuring up a small black orb on his index and middle fingers.

Ultear barely had any time to dodge…

The beam shot right past her as she threw herself to her right. She shot up to her feet, realizing moments later that his magical energy had dissipated.

But his eyes… those terrifying red eyes… were still there…

He conjured up another black magical orb, quickly throwing it at her…

Again she dodged, but this time, she managed to get a look at the attack's effects when it crashed into a tree.

They weren't pleasant… not in the least…

It tore a hole through the tree, but that wasn't all it did. Slowly, but surely, the tree began to decay, the leaves wilting as their life was being sucked away. The trunk creaked and groaned with its sturdiness sapped away from it. And, just a few seconds later, the tree collapsed into the ground, turning into dust when it hit.

Ultear could only stare in horror… If she were the one hit, she would be nothing more than dust…

He continued his merciless attack, launching beam after beam of deadly black energy towards her. She kept evading, using her incredible reflexes, but only barely. In her perspective, it seemed that the beams were getting faster and faster.

_'__This can't go on forever…'_ she thought as she frantically evaded another beam of death. _'The objective is retrieving Lord Zeref at any cost. If he must be injured or brought close to death, then so be it!'_

"_Speeding forth the flow of time, I will trap you in its course!"_ she chanted, extending her hand forward.

Suddenly, a group of trees sprang from around Natsu, trapping him. Unfazed, he only stared at Ultear, his smile widening slightly.

_'__I see… in the face of insurmountable adversity, she still fights… Good…'_ he thought.

**"****Lost Magic: Forward, Arc of Time!"**

Rocks began to ascend into the air, surrounding Ultear. With a simple wave of her hand, they shot forward towards the entrapped Natsu, who only smirked.

With a simple, but savage, release of his magical energy, the offending objects surrounding him were completely vaporized along with the flying debris. Then, he disappeared in an incredible burst of speed.

Ultear's eyes widened. She had never experienced such terrifying speed in a battle before. However, her eyes only widened further when Natsu reappeared right behind her, an eerily shining black magical blade formed over his hand.

He slashed, managing to nick her back as she evaded.

Wincing slightly in pain, Ultear jumped back a few times to make some distance between them. She was beginning to formulate a plan, when she felt it…

A foreign magical energy coursed through her body, paralyzing her muscles, depriving her of all movement. Unable to maintain her balance, she fell to the ground, spitting and growling in frustration.

However, that was only the prelude…

Pain began to course through her… Torturous, mind-numbing pain…

She began to scream… loudly.

Natsu reveled in her pain, laughing loudly in her face as it contorted.

"You see it now, Ultear? The foolishness in your plans? How dare you come and search for me with such foolish ambitions?!" he roared over her pained screams.

Ultear couldn't take it anymore… The pain was so powerful it was beginning to cloud her vision, her smell, her touch, her hearing, her taste… all five of her senses were being shut down along with her mind.

"However… like I said before… you interest me," Natsu muttered before waving his hand above her.

Instantly, the pain receded, leaving Ultear a mess on the ground, her eyes glazed with pain as sweat poured from all over her body. She gasped and whimpered loudly.

"You interest me," Natsu repeated. "You and that girl Meredy…"

Ultear's eyes shot up and met his, but they were not what she expected…

Instead of the terrifyingly demonic blood-red eyes, she gazed into captivatingly powerful pale silver eyes…

She now belonged to him…

"For that…" he continued, extending his hand towards her. "I will let you both live if you swear your loyalty to me…"

Without hesitation, she grabbed his hand and was pulled to her feet, albeit shakily. Almost falling, she managed to lean upon a tree that was standing behind her.

"Yes… my loyalty now belongs to you… Lord Zeref," swore Ultear devotionally, her eyes shining.

Natsu only smiled…

"No. My name's Natsu… Natsu Ravenwood… I'm his grandson…" he revealed.

Her eyes widened momentarily, before coming back to normal. She smiled slightly.

"Very well… Lord Natsu…"

…

* * *

><p><em><strong>There it is!<strong>_

_**Chapter 2 is now done! **_

_**I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!**_

_**As for the poll, please go to my profile and cast your vote! I want to know what all of you would like to read!**_

_**Next chapter might be published next week... maybe. As for "The Holy Trinity", it'll take a bit longer. **_

_**Thank you for reading!**_

_**Please! Review, review, review!**_

_**Until next time! Ciao!**_


	3. Removing Incompetence: Part I

_**Hello, everyone! **_

_**Back I am with chapter 3 of "Zeref's Second Coming"! I cannot say that the chapter did not fight me, because it did, pushing back my upload date till now... However, sharing ideas with my friend Natsu is Awesome gave me a bout of inspiration, so I have him to thank for that. **_

_**BIG SHOUTOUT TO NATSU IS AWESOME! **_

_**On a completely unrelated note, Naruto is finished! And NaruHina is official! Whooo! Yeah... just had to get it out there. Oh and, on another, even MORE unrelated note, the more I think about it, the more unsatisfied I am with Harry Potter's books 6 and 7. Not storywise, mind you... Pairing-wise... Ah whatever, enough of my ranting and raving...**_

_**The poll is, in my honest opinion, unsurprising... The top girl is Ultear... STILL... But hey, vote, everyone! As for either Sayla or Kyouka being in the harem, I am leaning towards having Sayla only. Gotta have an Etherious in there...**_

_**Anyways, onto the story!**_

_**Please read and review!**_

_**Enjoy!**_

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, its rights or any of its characters, spells, locations, etc. These belong to the one and only Hiro Mashima. I only own my OCs, my spells, etc. Any resemblance to anything or anyone, either living or dead, is purely coincidental. Also, this work is purely meant for non-profit entertainment.**

Hello " "= **Dialogue**

**Requip " "= Spells, Magical Item Names and Non-Human Speech  
><strong>

_What? ' ' = _**Thoughts**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3: Removing Incompetence: Part I<strong>

Turning away, satisfied with _this_ turn of events, Natsu began walking away from the recovering Ultear.

An explosion ensued in the distance… obviously one of the fairies was fighting one of the Kin…

He was now leaning towards destroying Fairy Tail… he really was.

All the problems they caused him were really getting on his nerves. First, they destroy Lullaby. Then, they kill Deliora. And now, they were slowly, but surely, defeating the "strongest" dark guild in existence. As much as he hated to admit it, he had severely underestimated the fairies…

No matter… He knew that no matter what happened in the future, the fairies were just treading closer to their doomsday…

But first… he had some Kin to kill for their incompetence…

"L-Lord Natsu!" called out Ultear, stopping him dead in his tracks.

He turned halfway and met her eyes. He noticed her blush slightly and turn away.

"I…" she trailed off, seemingly not finding the correct words to voice whatever she wanted to say.

"Is there something you need, Ultear?" he asked, turning around fully towards her.

"I… need to know… what you would like me to do…" she stated, meeting those heavenly silver eyes of his.

"Ah, yes…" Natsu replied, placing a hand under his chin thoughtfully. "Very well… here are your orders, Ultear. Find that girl, Meredy, and bring her here to this exact spot in 30 minutes time…"

"May I know what for, my lord?" she inquired, straightening up slightly at hearing her surrogate little sister's name.

"Why, to recruit her, of course!" declared Natsu, as if his answer was the most obvious thing in the world. "Oh, and to test her like I tested you. I need to know if she has the will to fight insurmountable adversity, like you showed me a few minutes ago."

Ultear gasped softly. "Will you hurt her, Lord Natsu?"

"No," he replied, earning a sigh of relief from her. However, when she met his eyes, her blood ran cold. "I will _break_ her... I will not tolerate weakness in my subordinates…"

"Yes, of course, Lord Natsu," Ultear replied quickly, successfully suppressing a terrified gasp.

"Good. Now, go. I have something to take care of…" he commanded, earning a quick nod from her. "Oh, I forgot…"

Without warning, he threw his hand in her direction, shooting off a cloud of black energy. Gasping, Ultear was unable to dodge it. However, when it struck her, she didn't feel pain. In fact, she was feeling rejuvenated. Seconds later, it dissipated, leaving a completely healthy-looking Ultear.

"W-W-What…?" she stuttered.

"You are completely healed, so you won't have an excuse for taking longer than expected," Natsu explained his reasoning. "Go, don't fail me, Ultear."

"I won't, Lord Natsu!" she exclaimed, genuinely smiling. She now had a chance to prove her worth to her Lord Natsu, no matter how menial the task seemed.

And with that… she left…

Natsu's eyes darkened slightly…

"Don't even think about betraying me, Ultear… The moment you do… I'll kill Meredy in front of you… before killing you," he muttered darkly to himself.

He smirked maliciously before turning in the opposite direction she went. He began to disintegrate slowly, transforming himself into a flowing shadow.

The last things to go… were his now red eyes and chillingly sharp smile…

"Now… time to kill some Kin…"

…

Gray Fullbuster was tired…

No… scratch that. He was beyond tired! He was _exhausted_!

His fight with Zancrow, Grimoire Heart's resident God Slayer, had pushed him beyond his limits! He had to literally empty out his own magical reserves on a desperate final attack to defeat him! It was outrageous!

So tired was he, that he _still_ had not moved from his spot on the ground beside his tiny elderly master, Makarov Dreyar.

He felt the fresh pulse of his friend's magic flowing through him. Her name was Wendy Marvell. She was a Dragon Slayer like him. In fact, she was the Sky Dragon Slayer, while he was the Ice Dragon Slayer.

She was incredibly adept at her magic, able to heal what would otherwise be life-threatening injuries with little effort. Her support and offensive spells were incredibly formidable as well, enabling her to stand toe-to-toe against him when he fought seriously…

Gray could honestly say that 16 year old Wendy was almost, if not just, as strong as him…

"Gray, I should almost be done patching you up," stated Wendy, snapping him out of his closed-eyed thoughts.

"Thanks… Wendy. I owe ya!" Gray thanked, looking at her while running a hand through his dark hair.

Wendy was beautiful… Even the stripping, slightly dense Gray could notice that…

She had waist-length ocean-blue hair, fair skin, deep brown eyes and a very curvy body with large breasts and a heart-shaped rear. She wore a short-sleeved dress matching the color of her hair, black stockings and blue heels.

"You're welcome, Gray," she replied happily. "Master… you're next!"

"Thank you, Wendy, dear…" replied the old, gruff and pained voice of Makarov Dreyar.

The tiny master, for all intents and purposes, was far worse off than Gray. After receiving a thorough beating from Grimoire Heart's master, Hades, and almost burning his hand off by grabbing Zancrow during his fight with Gray, it was a wonder that the old man had not died.

But, alas, he was too stubborn for that… He still had his children to care for, even if he were to retire right after the war was over…

"Alright! Gray, you're all patched up!" Wendy declared jovially, patting Gray softly.

"Wendy, shouldn't you rest a little bit? You've fought your fair share of enemies, you know…" said a stern, motherly voice from behind Wendy.

"I'll be fine, Carla. No need to worry about anything. I'm not 12 years old anymore," replied Wendy, moving over to the master.

"I know that, Wendy. But still… you must be tired," insisted Carla, ignoring the conversation that sprung up between Gray and his partner, the happy-go-lucky Exceed, Happy.

"Thanks, Carla…" answered Wendy, giving the white cat a warm smile. "But I'll be fine…"

As she began to heal Master Makarov's injuries, a sudden, a large spike of magical energy interrupted the conversation. However, it was easily discernible that the spike was in fact two magical energies flaring off… in the direction of Zancrow's last recorded flight…

"Zancrow's fighting…" commented Gray, surprised. "How the hell can that guy still fight? I'm pretty sure I kicked his ass hard enough!"

"Who is he fighting, though…? The magical energy is completely unfamiliar… and so dark and eerie…" added Wendy, shivering unconsciously.

"I'm gonna find out," declared Gray, standing up quickly and running in the direction of the fighting as an explosion set off.

"Gray, wait for me!" Happy called out, quickly sprouting out a set of small, white angelic wings and zooming over towards his best friend.

"Wait, Gray!" called out Wendy. "You might not be at your best!"

"I'll be fine, Wendy! I got this!" he reassured as he disappeared, Happy hot on his trail.

"Reckless brat…" muttered Master Makarov.

_'__But still… that other energy fighting against Zancrow… it feels so familiar… Where did I feel such a horrendous thing?'_

…

"You call yourself a God Slayer, Zancrow? Pathetic…" scoffed Natsu as he held a raggedly breathing, spiky-haired blond man by the throat.

Zancrow could barely move…

After losing to a _Dragon Slayer_, he was about to retreat into the Grimoire Heart airship and recover. However, this odd man in black came out of nowhere, with silver eyes and a smile far scarier and insane-looking than his. It _scared_ him…

Yes… Zancrow, the mighty Flame God Slayer, was _afraid_… afraid of being in the presence of this man… afraid of his voice… afraid of his _aura_…

The man's aura screamed insane power, and just one stare-off was enough to confirm it…

Zancrow tried futilely to wrench himself free from the man's grasp. The more he tried, though… the tighter it seemed to get…

"It seems you do not understand your current position, _God Slayer_…" taunted Natsu, emphasizing the last two words. "No matter what you try to do… you will still die…"

Natsu's senses flared slightly, causing him to turn away from Zancrow… Somebody was headed towards their location…

Zancrow took this tiny sliver of a chance to attempt one last escape move…

**"****Flame God's Scythe!"**

Out of his right hand, mustering all of the power he could, Zancrow summoned a scythe of pure black flames, and slashed at Natsu's head. Turning his head just to see the scythe flying towards him, Natsu disappeared, dropping the God Slayer in the process.

Barely managing to land on his feet, Zancrow tried to steady himself, but failed as he fell to one knee, his breathing more ragged than before.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk… Taking advantage of an opponent's distraction… How very… _cowardly_ of you, Zancrow…" Natsu chided in a mocking tone, appearing a few meters in front of Zancrow. He was wagging his index finger as if he were speaking to a mere _child_. "You need to be punished… _severely_…"

"_Stop… mocking… me…_" growled Zancrow, glaring murderously at Natsu.

"Now why should I do that?" Natsu asked mockingly, smirking maliciously at the tired God Slayer.

"I said… stop… MOCKING ME!" roared Zancrow, taking a large breath shortly afterwards.

**"****Flame God's Bellow!"**

A large torrent of black flames shot out of Zancrow's mouth, heading towards Natsu at breakneck speeds. Natsu only stood there, his now mocking smile never leaving his face.

"You are a disgrace to all slayers, Zancrow…" stated Natsu softly as he raised a finger and pointed towards the incoming torrent of black flames. "Now… be a good boy and die…"

A black beam shot from Natsu's pointed finger, piercing right through Zancrow's attack with ease…

Zancrow didn't even have time to widen his eyes…

By the time his eyes began to widen, the beam had already pierced right through his chest. He still heard the sound of ripping flesh screaming at his ears…

He clutched at his chest, watching the blood flow steadily out of it as if it were a stream of water making its way down a mountain. He was gasping for air, his shock preventing him from feeling any pain.

As if in slow motion, he fell on his back, the blood that had pooled in his mouth making its way out as he descended. Darkness began to devour him as the cold, gripping hands of death embraced him.

Blood began to pool around Zancrow's body, besmirching the ground with its color. The air reeked of death, and Natsu reveled in it.

"One down…" he muttered, turning around to meet the horrified black eyes of a dark-haired mage he was vaguely familiar with through paper. "Four to go…"

With that, he disintegrated into the shadows…

Gray could only stare in horrified shock at what happened before him. Just now, with no remorse at all, Zancrow was killed by this strange wizard he had never seen or sensed before!

Questions began to race through Gray's mind…

Who was that man? Where did he come from? Why was he in Tenrou Island? Why did he kill Zancrow? Was he an enemy? Or a friend? The thoughts were overwhelming him!

"Gray!" Happy's squeaky voice called out behind him. The blue Exceed quickly landed on his partner's shoulders, wheezing slightly. "You… should've… waited… for me…"

When he didn't answer, Happy looked straight at him and noticed his expression. Confusion and curiosity taking over him, the flying cat looked in the direction that Gray was facing, and gasped loudly.

There, in a puddle of blood, was Zancrow… dead…

"W-Who… did… this…?" he asked, fear permeating his voice.

"I… don't know…" was all Gray could reply. And, unfortunately, it was the truth. Gray had never met the man before. Hell, he didn't even get a good look at him. But, one thing he did see… those wicked silver eyes and manic smile…

He would forever remember those eerie eyes…

_"__Dragon Hunter…"_ called out a pained, raspy voice. Gray instantly knew it was Zancrow. Somehow, someway, the blond man was still alive.

Slowly, Gray walked over to the downed man and crouched beside him, looking at his red eyes that no longer screamed insanity… only pain and acceptance of death…

"_Stay away… from that man…"_ he managed to wheeze out before coughing copious amounts of blood.

"Do you know him…?" Gray inquired softly.

Zancrow did not respond, for he had succumbed to another fit of coughing. He convulsed slightly before his breathing became dangerously slow and shallow. His time had come…

The convulsions stopped along with his breathing. His eyes slowly closed, his faintly beating heart ceasing to function…

Zancrow… was dead…

"Is he…?" Happy didn't even get a chance to complete his question, for Gray had nodded his head. "How cruel…"

"I know… Happy…" Gray whispered comfortingly. "Let's go… We have to tell the master about this… He might know something…"

"Right!"

…

Natsu appeared in a certain section of the forest. It was far away from the rock formation where he first met Ultear. He looked around carefully, as if trying to find something important.

Why was he here?

Simple… he had sensed a battle raging in this part of the forest. Although it seemed to have calmed down, the evidence was still there. Trees were uprooted, cracks and craters butchered the once stable ground, and what seemed to be slash marks decorated some of the sections of the clearing.

Ragged breathing pierced the silence. Turning his head in the direction of the noise, Natsu noticed a fairly larger crater shadowed by a tree, making visibility slightly limited.

Now that he had paid closer attention, he noticed a large, overweight, unnaturally white body in the middle of the crater…

Instant recognition flared in Natsu… It was a member of the Seven Kin… Kain Hikaru…

Nigh invisible streaks of lightning coursed throughout the overweight man's body, giving away the cause of his current state of being… a **Lightning Magic** user…

"Kain Hikaru…" spoke Natsu softly, derisively. "Defeated… how pathetic…"

Kain coughed and opened his beady black eyes, instantly focusing them on Natsu.

"W-Who… are you?" he wheezed painfully.

"Who am I?" he repeated, smiling manically. "Interesting question… I am… _your death_…"

No response was given… only a widening of Kain's eyes. Sure, he had been threatened by many wizards during his tenure as a Grimoire Heart member… But, all of them were just all bark and no bite. They were weak, easily dispatched by his **Ushi no Koku Mairi**…

But this time, it was different… Just by simply looking into this stranger's ruthless silver eyes, Kain knew that he possessed immense power, and that death was right around the corner…

"Goodbye…" was all Natsu said before obliterating his heart with a black beam. Kain didn't move. Hell, he didn't even scream or blink. Only his eyes moved, widening and dulling as death overtook him.

"Two down… Three to go…" muttered Natsu.

"HEY!"

"Cue interrupting straggler…" he whispered, ignoring the male shout behind him.

"Who the hell are…?" the voice trailed off, quickly followed by a small, surprised noise.

Natsu turned, his eyes falling on the most unwelcome interruption. It was a slightly older, but still rather young, taller man with blond spiky hair and a lightning shaped scar on his right eye.

He smirked at the now slightly horrified man before disappearing in a shadow…

"Who the hell was that…?" Laxus Dreyar whispered to himself. Noticing the gutted Kain, he grimaced slightly. "And why the hell did he kill Fat Whitey? Is he an ally… or an enemy?"

Knowing that he would not find the answer by just standing still, Laxus smelled the air, trying to find his grandfather's scent. Picking up on it, he ran in that direction…

"Gotta tell the old man…"

…

**"****Tower of Dingir!"**

An enormous, segmented tower emerging from the ground and trapping two wizards was the sight that greeted Natsu Ravenwood as he appeared on the canopy of a rather green tree.

Raucous laughter rang, compiling with the anguished cries of pain and shock, creating an eerie sound altogether.

He spotted a fairly tall and lanky young man with silver pompadour style hair and dark clothing raising his hands up in the air, almost as if in offering. Natsu smiled slightly in recognition.

It was Rustyrose… wielder of the **Arc of Embodiment**…

Natsu knew it was a formidable magic. The ability to bring anything imaginable to life and use it at a mere whim was not to be underestimated. However, the limits to the magic were painfully obvious… creativity of the user and magical power.

Creating a thing such as the **Tower of Dingir** drained immense amounts of magical power. With that in mind, Natsu came to two conclusions… Rustyrose's opponents were powerful enough to require such an attack… or Rustyrose was a plain, idiotic showoff…

Natsu went with the latter…

The tower suddenly began to glow, signifying the impending doom of the trapped fairies.

Boom…

The explosion was massive, decimating the cliff from where the tower was erected, unleashing an incredibly powerful shockwave that would've uprooted Natsu's tree. However, the Ravenwood was more than ready for the explosion, subtly casting a black transparent shield that protected him and the tree.

Natsu didn't need the protection. Such a measly shockwave was not enough to even frazzle his hair. He just thought losing his foothold on the tree's branch was bothersome.

The explosion dissipated, leaving a large column of smoke that slowly trailed off into the darkening sky. When it cleared, though, Natsu was shown something he did not like very much…

The two trapped fairies were still whole, not a piece of them missing, obviously still alive…

"Weak…" muttered Natsu, closing his eyes and shaking his head. "One failure after another… I must get rid of these incompetent idiots."

Natsu snapped out of his musings when he noticed Rustyrose walking away from the scene of the explosion. It was time to act…

Jumping away from the comfortable canopy, Natsu deftly landed before the silver-haired wizard, startling him slightly.

"Oh, my… You startled me…" drawled Rustyrose in greeting. "And who might you be?"

"Have you perhaps… _heard_ of the name Ravenwood?" Natsu asked in reply.

The man's eyes widened… Of course he had heard of that name. It was the name of the great Lord Zeref's family! How could he have _not_ heard that name!

"Why… it's the illustrious Lord Zeref's name, of course!" replied Rustyrose, in a rather beautifying manner.

"I see…" Natsu replied, smiling slightly. "You_ do _know my grandfather's name…"

Rustyrose's eyes widened drastically…

How could they not, for this mysterious young man in front of him had just claimed that he was a _direct_ descendant of the mighty Lord Zeref himself…

If this young man was _truly_ a descendant of Lord Zeref, then the possibility of him knowing his location on the island existed. Maybe… just maybe… he would tell him. Master Hades would have a field day with such information…

"Excuse me, oh mighty descendant of the illustrious Lord Zeref… Could you please tell me the location of your dear grandfather? Is he somewhere on the Garden of Eden?" drawled Rustyrose disgustingly, bowing showily. The sheer eeriness of his tone would have sent massive shivers down the spine of anyone, and Rustyrose knew that…

However, this man remained completely unfazed… In fact, he had not even locked eyes with him!

"I'm afraid I cannot tell you…" replied Natsu, finally opening his eyes but not locking them with his new target.

"And why is that?" the silver-haired man asked, his voice taking on a dark, dangerous tone.

"Because… you must _die_ for your incompetence…" was all Natsu said before pointing his index finger at him… with a swollen orb of blackness already conjured at the tip…

Rustyrose was thankful to every single god of Earth Land for his lightning-fast reflexes, for he managed to transform his left hand into a **Golden Shield** just in the nick of time, deflecting the obviously deadly attack.

**"****Eviscerating Spikes!"**

With a simple horizontal wave of Rustyrose's hand, large, extremely sharp black spikes emerged from the ground beneath Natsu at breakneck speeds, aiming to gut the silver-eyed Ravenwood.

Natsu, without batting an eyelash, deftly evaded them by merely kicking up into the air. Now locking his silver eyes with Rustyrose's gray ones, Natsu fired a black beam from his fingertips, barely missing the evading member of the Kin.

Rustyrose rolled on the uneven ground for a few seconds before planting his hand on the ground and using it as a springboard to launch himself into the air. Flipping a couple of times before landing on his feet, the silver-haired man rotated to face his enemy, only to see that he had completely disappeared…

"Looking for me?" asked his chilling voice… from right before him. Rustyrose's eyes widened greatly. Natsu had appeared right in front of him, with a fist cocked back and ready to strike.

_'__Such incredible speed!'_ he thought frantically, leaning back as far as he could in an evasive maneuver.

But it was not enough… Natsu had lunged forward and connected with his stomach…

But then… the strangest thing happened…

The moment Natsu struck Rustyrose, he did not flinch, or bend to the blow. He did not even _feel_ pain…

Looking down, the silver-haired member of the Kin saw that the Ravenwood's fist had gone right _through_ him… This blew his mind.

_'__H-How…? H-How did he d-do that?'_ he wondered silently, rampantly. And then, Natsu flickered into nonexistence.

"WHAT?!" this time, Rustyrose did voice his shock out loud. How could he not? After all, his opponent just disappeared in front of him… almost as if he were a **Thought Projection**.

Pain…

That was the next thing Rustyrose felt… overwhelming pain… originating from his abdomen.

Looking down once again, he saw a black magical blade sticking out of his gut, with a liberal amount of blood steadily flowing from the deadly wound.

He couldn't think straight anymore… Something was flowing through his system, shutting down all of his senses except touch… His vision began to darken, reminding Rustyrose of the one thing he feared above all others… death…

"H-H-How…?" was all he could say, in a pained, shaky croak. He turned to look at his killer, and only saw an emotionless pair of pale silver eyes as the descendant of the mighty Lord Zeref removed the blade from his body…

Falling to knees while coughing out copious amounts of blood, Rustyrose knew that December 15th, Year X784 was the last sunset he would ever see…

"Three down… Two to go…"

…

* * *

><p><em><strong>And this chapter is over! <strong>_

_**I will try to get the next one out sooner than this one. But, oh well... life happens... **_

_**"The Holy Trinity" has been fighting me recently, but that doesn't I'll give up on it. It'll just take slightly longer to update. Sorry everyone!**_

_**Thank you for reading!**_

_**Please! Review, review, review!**_

_**Until next time! Ciao!**_


	4. Removing Incompetence: Part II

_**Hello, everyone!**_

_**Here is chapter 4 of "Zeref's Second Coming"! I was planning to release this on Wednesday, but life happened, so I couldn't add the finishing touches to the chapter. So, here ya go!**_

_**Poll's still up and waiting for more votes. Top ladies are Mirajane, Ultear and Erza... in no particular order. Just keep voting, my fellow readers! I have decided to have Sayla and Kyouka in the harem, so you can look forward to their interactions.**_

_**I do have to say, I am completely flabbergasted by the support I am receiving for this story. It is absolutely staggering! I guess many readers have been wanting more Dark Natsu. Well, I'll happily oblige! **_

_**Anyways, onto the story!**_

_**Please read and review!**_

_**Enjoy!**_

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, its rights or any of its characters, spells, locations, etc. These belong to the one and only Hiro Mashima. I only own my OCs, my spells, etc. Any resemblance to anything or anyone, either living or dead, is purely coincidental. Also, this work is purely meant for non-profit entertainment.**

Hello " "= **Dialogue**

**Requip " "= Spells, Magical Item Names and Non-Human Speech  
><strong>

_What? ' ' = _**Thoughts**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4: Removing Incompetence: Part II<strong>

"Alright, Master! You are all patched up!"

Wendy's jovial voice chirped as she lifted her hands away from the tiny old man. The light blue-green glow, signature of her healing magic, faded away into nothingness. Her breathing was slightly heavy, signifying her growing exhaustion at using so much of her magical energy.

"Thank you, Wendy dear," thanked Master Makarov, sitting up slowly and smiling warmly at her. "Now, please rest. I know you are very tired…"

"Yes, child! You should rest now! I don't want you to collapse from severe magical exhaustion!" exclaimed Carla, slightly indignant that the blue-haired beauty was listening to the master instead of her.

"Alright, Carla…" spoke Wendy soothingly, quickly detecting her partner's indignation. "I'll rest now… There might be other people throughout the island that might be injured, so I have to be ready for them!"

"Always putting the others before you, child. What am I to do with you?" bemoaned Carla in a seemingly exasperated tone as she shook her head. However, the small smile rising in her face gave away that it was just a good-natured gibe.

"Well, Carla," Wendy decided to tease back. "If I didn't put others before me, I wouldn't be _that_ much a friend or a Fairy Tail member now, would I? _And,_ you wouldn't be chasing me around, all worried about my well-being…"

"Oh, quiet you… you… _child_," retorted the small white Exceed, mock-glaring at her long-time friend.

Melodious laughter ensued from Wendy, shortly followed by soft chuckles from Carla. Soon after, even the tired Master Makarov decided to join in on the fun, laughing away his fatigue with his children.

"Ah, you brats… always so full of energy even after fighting. What am _I_ to do with _you_?" questioned the old master.

"Oh, you know you love us, Master!" joked Wendy.

_'__That I do, dear… That I do…'_ thought Master Makarov proudly. How could he not be proud when he helped raise some of the most fantastic, yet overly destructive brats in the history of Fairy Tail? Their sheer determination and bonds of friendship were stifling, even for _him_!

"GRAMPS!"

The frantic-sounding voice and arrival of Gray Fullbuster with an eerily silent Happy interrupted their jovial play, and served to kill the happy mood. Whatever happened in the forest, if it was bad enough to leave the ever-brave Ice Dragon Slayer and his happy-go-lucky sidekick shaking and heaving, must have been of a whole new level of bad. Master Makarov had to hear this…

"Gray… what happened?" he asked, seriousness tinting his tone.

"Z-Zancrow's…" the dark-haired mage began, placing his hands on his knees as he caught his breath. Why was he so tired… so out of breath?

"What happened to Zancrow, Gray?" asked Master Makarov, slightly impatiently.

"Zancrow's… dead…" breathed out Gray, dropping the proverbial bomb on the group.

Wendy gasped loudly, her hands flying to her mouth. Carla was shocked silent, her jaw slightly slacked. Master Makarov was the one that fared better, with only his wide eyes hinting at his surprise.

"What?" Master Makarov's soft voice pierced through the deafening silence. "How…? Who killed him?"

"I don't know who it was, sir," Gray replied, shivering terribly. "But I can tell you this… Those pale silver eyes were the most horrifying I have ever seen in my life… The look they gave only screamed _death_… And that _smile_…"

"Enough of that, Gray. Did you see the owner of those eyes?" asked Master Makarov sternly.

"N-N-No…" was all he replied, before shaking slightly.

Wendy was terrified, and her blood was running cold. Whoever it was that killed a _God Slayer_ and scared the living daylights out of _Gray Fullbuster_ was not someone she would ever want to meet. The latter fact alone served to drive the stake of fear deeper into her chest. But the former one just pierced right through her…

Who could have been so _cruel_ to murder someone in cold blood, and _smile_ after it?! She shook slightly. Now, her desire to leave this island was greater than ever…

"OLD MAN!"

The arrival of Laxus Dreyar, the master's grandson, served as a small reprieve from the horrifying reality they were currently facing. However, his irately frightened look only bore worse news for the already terrified group.

"Laxus?!" called out Master Makarov.

"Old man, there's this weirdo in black on the island," Laxus began, subtly gauging for reactions. He hoped that one of the others present had actually seen that weirdo, and that he wasn't having some sort of hallucination.

"Did you see what color his eyes were?!" Gray almost demanded. That threw Laxus for a loop. Why would _Gray_ want to know what color eyes the weirdo had? Unless…

"They were pale silver… Why?"

"That's the guy!" Gray exclaimed. "Those were the eyes I saw when Zancrow died!"

"You mean there are more deaths?!" Laxus asked.

"Wait, Laxus, Gray. Let me get this straight," interrupted Master Makarov, his tone dead serious. "Laxus, who did this man kill?"

"He killed Fat Whitey, Kain Hikaru of the Kin," Laxus stated, earning shocked gasps from everyone present, except the wizened old man he called grandfather.

Master Makarov rubbed his chin, deep in thought. Why, all of a sudden, did this mysterious man appear with an apparent vendetta against Grimoire Heart? And, to makes things even stranger, he was only targeting the Seven Kin of Purgatory, not the guild itself. It was a mystery he could not solve… yet.

"The way he did it was brutal… He didn't even give Fat Whitey a chance to do anything. Black Weirdo just came towards the fatty's crater and shot a beam right through his heart," Laxus explained, grimacing slightly at the terrifying mental image it procured.

Everyone seemed to follow suit with his grimace, though Wendy's and Carla's was a lot worse. They seemed almost close to tears, but they held strong. Wendy was a trained and powerful wizard, and a Dragon Slayer to boot. Yet, she was very sympathetic, friendly, and very open with her emotions, with Carla being her voice of cold, hard logic and levelheadedness.

However, here, with a crazed psycho killer on the loose, with nothing but death and destruction besmirching Fairy Tail's holy ground, they were remarkably steadfast.

"What did the man look like?" voiced Master Makarov, all gazes zoning in on him.

"He looked _very_ young. In fact, based on looks alone, he must've been, at most, 22 years old…" Laxus began, breathing deeply. "He was about Gray's height, with black, spiky hair. He wore all black, with a weird red symbol on the back of his long overcoat…"

This had Master Makarov's mind racing a mile a minute. Red symbol, completely clad in black, with dark, murderously evil tendencies only spoke of… he was already fearing the possibility…

But… there was no way… right?

The last member of… _that_ family died 400 years ago… How could the Magic Council miss another one?

"What… was the symbol?" asked Master Makarov shakily, not wanting to hear the obviously horrifying answer.

"It was a gothic letter "R", with devil-like wings on the sides…"

That was all that Laxus managed to say, for his grandfather had interrupted him with a loud gasp. The added fearful expression he had did not help settle things for the gathered group.

_'__Blood-red gothic letter "R" with devil wings on the side? Not to forget the draconian all-seeing eye above it and the open tome underneath it? This could only mean one thing…'_ Master Makarov shuddered at the thought… '_Ravenwood… after 400 years, their evil _still_ haunts us…'_

"M-Master, w-what is it?"

"Yeah, gramps. What's got you all shaken up?"

"Old man…?"

Master Makarov exhaled loudly and closed his eyes…

"This can't be happening…"

"WHAT IS IT, OLD MAN?!" roared Laxus, finally losing patience. His loudness completely startled the stupefied younger members along with their partners. Hell, even the local fowl was scared into flying away raucously.

Master Makarov did not even flinch… he only sighed again before locking his fearful gaze on his grandson. This made Laxus stop dead in his tracks… He had never seen his grandfather looking _that_ fearful before…

"Things just got a _hell_ of a lot darker for us… Mavis, help us all…"

…

Natsu Ravenwood sighed slightly before adopting his usual emotionless expression as he stood over a rather tall cliff on the other side of the island…

Now, after brutally and efficiently ridding some incompetence in the form of three members of the Seven Kin of Purgatory, the silver-eyed Ravenwood was now on the hunt for the fourth member of the "_strongest"_ faction in Grimoire Heart. And he had found him!

However…what he came to witness… left him rather disappointed…

The member's name was Zoldeo… He was a rather forgettable individual, though he did look sadistically ghastly. The bags under his eyes and the scars on his cheeks, along with the usage of **Human Subordination** gave a creepy appearance that actually managed to _impress_ Natsu…

But, at first, Zoldeo did not even look like that. He, in fact, was fused with the Celestial Spirit, Capricorn taking the outward appearance of the tall, well-dressed goat.

It was in this form that Zoldeo did battle with two fairies… both women…

One of them was a blonde Celestial Spirit Mage, and the other was a brunette **Card Magic** user…

The battle was mostly one-sided, with Zoldeo returning everything they threw at him, and then some… It also seemed he held a personal grudge against the Celestial Spirit Mage.

It was only when the blond summoned Leo, the spiky orange-haired leader of the** 12 Zodiac Keys**, that things turned sour for the scarred man. Leo fought against Zoldeo, quickly setting it in stone that they were equals in terms of power. Or so he thought…

Natsu knew that Leo was far more powerful than he let on. After all, he _was_ the leader of the **12 Zodiac Keys**. It was not to be forgotten that being in a world other than the Celestial Spirit World weakened the Celestial Spirits greatly.

After a rather long, unimpressive back-and-forth battle between the two, Leo defeated Zoldeo, managing to purge him from Capricorn. Right after that particular event, Zoldeo disintegrated, punished for breaking the laws of the Celestial Spirit World.

Natsu sighed again… _very_ disappointed… He really wanted to kill Zoldeo with his own hands… It seemed it just wasn't meant to happen.

"Pathetic… Oh, well… Four down… One to go…"

Natsu disappeared in a shadow, unknowingly alerting the Celestial Spirit with his spike of energy.

"Loke? Is something wrong?" asked the blond when she noticed his alarmed expression.

"N-Nothing at all, my dear Lucy… Nothing at all…" replied the christened Leo, looking at the very cliff where Natsu stood not long ago.

"Hey, Lucy! We have to go find the others!" called out the brunette accompanying them as she ran towards the forest. "They might need our help!"

"Oh, right! Let's go, Cana!" replied Lucy, following the now named Cana. "Loke, thanks for everything! You really saved me back there! And… you helped me get a new key!"

Loke didn't respond in his usual flirtatious manner, only giving the buxom blond a curt nod. As he slowly faded from existence, only one thought coursed through his mind…

'_That energy... Just like the one we met 400 years ago… This can't be good… If it is who I think it is… I have to prepare Lucy… Dark times loom ahead for the world…'_

…

Ultear trekked purposefully through the dense forest a little ways away from her new lord. She had been deep in search for her surrogate little sister Meredy for the past 15 minutes, and still had not found her.

A small amount of panic began to course through her system. If she did not find Meredy in the next 10 minutes and get her back to _that_ clearing in five, her Lord Natsu would be disappointed in her! And she, for the sake of her life and her sister's, would not allow that!

Even with her senses expanded to their limit, she had been unsuccessful in detecting the pink-haired beauty. Three possibilities ran through her mind: she was deliberately suppressing her magical energy, she was just beyond her senses, or… she shuddered horribly at the thought, casting it away the moment it entered her mind.

Meredy could not be dead. She was too well-trained and powerful to fall to any of the fairies. Only the strongest of them would be able to defeat her. She could honestly say that the pink-haired girl was almost as strong as her!

Then again, with all her training and arduous hours of studying, she was no match at all for her Lord Natsu… The power he displayed was just… unfathomable and terrifying! And, to make things worse, she was sure that he held back!

As much as it terrified her, though, that fact only sparked something inside Ultear… the power to strive…

Born in her was the drive to reach new levels of power to be of use for her Lord Natsu… a drive she would quickly instill into Meredy once she was found and recruited…

Even if she met her Lord Natsu just a few minutes ago, a small voice inside her compelled her to do anything to please him. And she be damned if she ignored that voice, for it was the voice of survival. Disappointing her Lord Natsu meant instant death… she clearly saw that in his eyes, but it only egged the Time Mage further.

A surge of magical energy snapped Ultear out of her thoughts… a very familiar magical energy…

_'__Found her!'_ she thought happily.

She rushed at breakneck speeds in the direction of her surrogate little sister.

_'__I'm coming, Meredy! With Lord Natsu, I'm sure our dreams will come true!'_

…

A shadow distorted slightly in the vicinity of a small forest clearing before rising and forming a human-shaped outline. It fluctuated, churning and seemingly boiling before revealing Natsu Ravenwood.

Just a second later, without even a warning, a dark orb flew past him and slammed into a few trees, causing a large explosion of pure darkness.

With an eyebrow raised, he looked at the dissipating blast, a familiar sense racing through his mind. The magical energy behind the attack somehow reminded him of… an Etherious…

_'__Well, well, what is _this_? Energy vaguely similar to an Etherious?' _he mused, before the answer popped up in his mind. '_Ah, yes… It's the fairies' infamous "Demon", Mirajane…'_

**"****Release my sister, you coward!"** a distortedly demonic, yet distinctively female voice rang throughout the forest, intriguing Natsu even further.

"Then defeat me in three minutes, Mirajane _Strauss_…"

Silence… That was all Natsu heard afterwards… That proverbial silence when the mind focused on _one_ thing and one thing _only_…

'_Strauss?'_ Natsu thought, his eyes dilating slightly, creating a positively terrifying image with the wicked smile that had crept up on his face. '_I see… Now I'm really interested…'_

He caught sight of the owners of the voices. One of them was a tall, dark-skinned, very muscular man clad in a peculiar green and orange outfit with brown confetti-like hair sticking out in all directions and a pointed goatee.

The other one was a woman… an undeniably beautiful white-haired woman that looked far too similar to an Etherious in their **Etherious Form **at that particular moment. What could be considered her outfit was a rather skimpy dark red one-piece suit with identically colored thigh-high boots. Her forearms were practically demonic, with devil-like wings and a large, stocky tail to complete the package.

Yes… this woman was very much like an Etherious… and Natsu could not help but be interested by her…

After all, how often had he met a human with the powers of a demon? Simple, quick answer… _never_…

His eyes caught something else. Beyond the scene of an obviously rigid power struggle between the two opponents, a plethora of what seemed to be tree roots rose above the ground and coiled around each other like snakes. An ethereal number "150" that ticked down with each passing second was in the middle of the roots, hinting at a spell of some kind…

_'__**Great Tree Arc**__… the magic of Azuma, member of the Seven Kin of Purgatory,'_ Natsu thought in realization.

What the branches held, though, caught his attention even further. A young, white-haired girl far too similar to the "Demon" was being held by the branches, some of them snaked around her wrists, torso, legs and neck. The similarity in hair color and eye color only hinted at one thing… the Etherious-like girl was her sister.

Smiling widely now, he pointed his right index finger at the union of roots as the two combatants locked legs in a powerful strike. He shot a powerful black beam from his finger, with his intended target being the roots. However, the two fighters were in the way.

**"****Watch out!"** cried out Mirajane Strauss when she noticed the beam from behind Azuma. Said wizard turned around, and his eyes widened. With a powerful shove of her left arm, she managed to push him away, using the backlash to evade the beam.

Her eyes widened in horror when she saw that the beam wasn't exactly meant for them. Turning in the direction it headed, she saw the beam strike tree roots… the very same roots that held her little sister…

**"****NO! LISANNA!" **she scrambled to her feet and lunged towards the now decaying roots, desperately trying to find a sign of her sister in the growing cloud of dust. Azuma only looked contemplatively at the possible origin of the beam, trying to find the dishonorable being that dared interrupt his fight.

Mirajane almost screamed in relief when she saw her sister in the clearing dust, completely unharmed. She was currently gripping her face, a disbelieving expression on her face. She had obviously expected that attack to completely finish her.

**"****LISANNA!"** Mirajane embraced her sister, her transformation receding. Tears of relief began to seep out, feeling the soft skin and aroma of her sister invading her senses. A snapping branch broke them out of their reverie.

"Who's there?!" demanded Mirajane, snapping her head in the direction of the sound.

"I missed… Tsk, oh well…" Natsu spoke, ignoring the demand as he sauntered lackadaisically towards them.

"Who are you?!" Mirajane demanded once again.

"Isn't it common courtesy to introduce yourself first before asking such a thing?" asked Natsu mockingly. Mirajane gritted her teeth and stood up, ready to attack her sister's apparent assailant.

"No matter…" he continued, ignoring the scathing glare he was now receiving. "My purpose here is simple… I… am removing incompetence…"

That was all he intoned, for he had lazily pointed a finger at Azuma and released a black beam of death.

Deftly evading the beam by jumping to the side, Azuma remained stony-faced. Pointing an open hand at the silver-eyed Ravenwood, he summoned magical energy.

**"****Ramus Sica!"**

A flurry of small, super-sharp branches shot from a tree behind Azuma, with Natsu being the target. With a simple flick of his hand, Natsu released a powerful shockwave of dark magical energy that redirected the branches away from him.

**"****Darkness Stream!"**

A multitude of large hands comprised of pure dark energy shot towards Natsu, with the intent of grabbing and crushing him. It seemed that Mirajane Strauss had decided to join Azuma and fight against him…

He lackadaisically sidestepped each of the hands that weaved and coiled around him, slapping away some of them without looking.

**"****Chain Burst!"**

Out of nowhere, roots appeared and wrapped around Natsu's extremities tightly before exploding, digging up a sizable crater. Smoke billowed from the site, and the silver-eyed Ravenwood was invisible.

"I see you've decided to fight with me…" proclaimed Azuma suddenly.

**"****No! He almost killed my sister! I'll make him pay!"** refuted the now transformed Mirajane. **"I'll deal with you after this!"**

Clapping rang throughout the clearing as the smoke cleared. It revealed a totally unharmed, eerily smiling Natsu as he walked towards them, slapping his hands rhythmically. It scared Mirajane slightly…

"I would like to say I'm impressed…" he voiced, stopping a few meters away from the seemingly temporary allies. "But I would be blatantly lying… Can't have that now, can we?"

"How are you unharmed?" asked Azuma. "I put a considerable amount of power behind that spell!"

"Apparently… not enough to frazzle a single hair of mine…" mocked Natsu, firing a multitude of black beams at breathtaking speeds.

Barely evading the deadly attacks, Mirajane and Azuma stood beside each other, preparing their individual attacks, only to find that their target was had completely disappeared…

"_Out of my way, girl…_" hissed a voice from right behind them.

Eyes wide in shock, both combatants turned to see their mysterious, now terrifying enemy. He backhanded her, sending her flying into a multitude of trees. She cried loudly in pain as she crashed.

"Now, where were we?" Natsu rhetorically asked. "Ah yes… your death…"

**"****Tower Burst!"**

As Azuma extended his arms sideways, a torrential pillar of flames shot up from the ground, engulfing the two opponents in a rock-melting inferno of red-orange. Natsu flickered back with pure speed, still completely unharmed, the only sign of damage being a minute singe on his shirt.

**"****Evil Explosion!"**

A large, sparking dark orb of energy shot from within the trees, barely missing Natsu. The explosion that ensued was now the largest explosion that had occurred in the battle.

_'__Ah, the powers of an Etherious…'_ he thought, smirking maliciously. '_Enticing! And for a human to possess them… I think I've found myself a probable test subject…'_

Mirajane stepped out of the fallen trees, blood flowing from her lip and temple. It was obvious that she was injured, but apparently it wasn't enough to hamper her combat abilities. Pointing her open right palm at the last Ravenwood, she conjured a large orb of purple energy.

Multiple small, purple energy projectiles fired from the larger one, mutilating some of the earth as they headed towards Natsu. He methodically slapped them away, littering the clearing with small explosions that compiled into a massive one that downed a large amount of trees and created a snake-like crater on the ground.

As he did this, he turned and surveyed the area for a sign of his target, finding none. Only the creaking and groaning of branches in one direction gave him a semblance of possible location. Turning in that direction, he saw an immense, fist-shaped trunk heading towards him at impressive speeds.

Summoning a black energy blade with his right hand, he sliced the tree fist in half, the resulting shockwave of the attack splitting the rest of it. However, at that very moment, Mirajane was flying towards him, her fists enveloped in dark magical energy.

She struck Natsu in the face, making him bend slightly to the blow before pelting him with a flurry of powerful strikes that ended with a roundhouse kick that sent him skidding back a couple of meters.

Quickly following the strikes, a large amount of roots rose and wrapped around his entire body, restraining him completely. This prompted Mirajane to begin charging her next attack, a large black and purple orb appearing between her hands.

Azuma clapped his hands in front of him, and then pointed them at the trapped silver-eyed Ravenwood, his fingers bent slightly.

**"****Terra Clamare!"**

**"****Soul Extinction!"**

From the ground right beneath Natsu, a massive globe of yellow-orange flames rose, engulfing the last Ravenwood completely. Right after that, Mirajane unleashed her attack, an overwhelming beam of black and purple that collided with the yellow orb and merged with it…

The explosion was unfathomable… Creating an earthquake that shook the entire island slightly, unleashing gale-force winds that would've blown the duo away had they not anchored themselves to the ground, a dome of yellow-orange, black and purple that would be obviously visible by everyone… it was a blast to remember…

The explosion cleared, leaving behind a monumental pillar of smoke that slowly trudged its way skyward, veering off course with the breeze that blew over the island. A crater large enough to fit the entire Fairy Tail guild hall twice over was another remnant of the godlike blast. But of Natsu Ravenwood… there was no remnant whatsoever…

Both Azuma and Mirajane fell to their knees, panting heavily in sheer exhaustion. They had placed almost all of their energy in that final attack, knowing that the enemy required such drastic measures.

"I can't imagine him surviving such an attack…" stated Mirajane as her transformation receded.

"I'm inclined to agree," replied Azuma. "However, he did give a good enough fight… But, I'm yet to be satisfied…"

"Yet to be satisfied? I see!" declared that familiarly terrifying, mocking voice from behind them. Both sets of eyes widened drastically, with Mirajane releasing a small gasp of horror. Painstakingly slowly they turned, only to come upon a sight that made their blood run cold…

Natsu Ravenwood stood there, a chilling smile on his face… completely unharmed… His clothes were slightly singed, and a minuscule layer of dust covered his clothing.

"H-H-How..?" was all Mirajane could utter through the overwhelming terror that began to course through her. That attack held most of her power, not to mention Azuma's! How the hell did he get out of it unharmed?! And he was restrained, for Mavis's sake!

"I daresay that was enough of a warm-up, what say you?" he conversationally asked, taking small steps towards them.

_'__H-He called that a w-warm-up?!'_ thought Mirajane, steadily growing more terrified.

"Now… let's kick things up a notch, shall we?" he said, staring straight at them with his pale silver eyes. They turned blood-red, his darkening aura chilling the air around them dramatically.

Then… it happened…

Magical energy as black as death exploded from his body, enveloping them completely as it spiraled into the darkening sky. Darkness overtook them, with the blood-red glow of his eyes serving as the only source of light. His body seemingly disappeared, but his eyes didn't. In fact, they seemed to steadily grow ever larger, glaring holes into the souls of the poor victims at their mercy.

Mirajane was completely paralyzed by fear, her eyes as wide as they could go… She couldn't, for the love of everything that was holy, tear her horrified gaze away from those… demonic orbs of traumatizing evil and darkness… Shivers that progressed into nigh-spasms wracked her body, sweat flowing down it like a river down a mountain. Soft, despairing whimpers left the confines of her mouth, but she couldn't look away from him!

Azuma was not faring any better. The only difference was that he wasn't whimpering. The shaking, the sweating, even the horrified expression… everything was there! Fear had finally overtaken the unshakable pillar that was once Azuma of the Seven Kin of Purgatory!

Suddenly, without so much as a warning, the blood-freezing magical energy completely dissipated, revealing the world to the paralyzed duo. But Natsu… was nowhere to be seen…

The sound of ripping flesh rang throughout the vicinity, along with a soft gasp of pain that was quickly followed by gurgling… Natsu had stabbed Azuma in the throat with his black energy blade, without a single emotion present in those blood-red eyes.

"The overuse of your magic would've killed you, Azuma… fitting for someone like you." Natsu stated. "But… where's the fun in that? Now… be a good boy and die…"

The blade disappeared, giving leeway to the river of blood that literally squirted from his eviscerated throat. Darkness quickly overtook him, granting him release from the painful world of the living and induction into the blissful world of the dead.

"Ah… Five down… None to go…" he muttered to himself. "Now that that's done and over with, I have to return and meet that girl for her test… _I'll enjoy this_…"

He was interrupted from his musings by a slightly loud, frightened whimper emanating from the white-haired beauty kneeling before him. He raised an open palm at her.

"_Sleep_…" he cooed softly, almost kindly. As if on cue, an overbearing wave of sleepiness invaded the mind of Mirajane Strauss, yanking her away from all terror that she had felt these past few minutes.

The last thing she saw before darkness overtook her… was a pair of breathtakingly pale silver eyes…

…

_**And that's that! **_

_**I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! **_

_**Not really sure when I'm going to update this. Probably in a week or two. Somewhere in there. As for "The Holy Trinity", I am finally making progress! Chapter will still take some time, but don't worry, I'm not giving up!**_

_**Thank you for reading!**_

_**Please! Review, review, review!**_

_**Until next time! Ciao!**_


	5. Recruiting Meredy

_**Hello, everyone!**_

_**Here is chapter 5 of ZSC (Zeref's Second Coming)! There has been a slightly longer wait than last time, due to the bane of all student-kind... FINALS! Ugh. Whatever... To compensate for that, this chapter is slightly longer than the last few, so I hope you enjoy reading it!**_

_**The poll is still up! It will close when chapter 6 is uploaded, so please vote, my fellow readers! Top spot still belongs to Ultear, and I doubt she'll come down...**_

_**Anyways, onto the story!**_

_**Please read and review!**_

_**Enjoy!**_

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, its rights or any of its characters, spells, locations, etc. These belong to the one and only Hiro Mashima. I only own my OCs, my spells, etc. Any resemblance to anything or anyone, either living or dead, is purely coincidental. Also, this work is purely meant for non-profit entertainment.**

Hello " "= **Dialogue**

**Requip " "= Spells, Magical Item Names and Non-Human Speech  
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_What? ' ' = _**Thoughts**

_**Oh dear... '**_** '****= Non-human Thoughts**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5: Recruiting Meredy<strong>

Lisanna Strauss was heaving for air as she ran over the rocky terrain of the forest. Her destination was the part of the forest where the magical energy was surging nigh out of control. _That_ was where her sister and the battle-crazy Azuma were fighting the scary black-haired man.

It shocked her to no bounds that Azuma had actually thought that her _sister_, of all people, was going to fight alongside him. She couldn't understand it! A few minutes ago, he had threatened to kill her to force Mirajane to fight him at full power, and now he was hinting at a cooperative battle?! Was he out of his mind?!

But, she could somewhat understand it. The man in black was amongst the scariest people she had ever met in her life. His mere _presence_ sent massive shivers of fear down her spine. The mocking way he spoke, along with the manic smile, only compounded that fear 100 times over…

Suddenly, a massive, purple-black, yellow-orange explosion ensued in the direction she was heading, along with a slight quaking of the ground that sent her sprawling into the ground.

She looked up, her eyes as wide as they could go as the explosion dissipated and the smoke began to trail into the sky. Fear coursed through her like an angry ocean, engulfing and threatening to drown her completely. Though it was her sister's magical energy present in that humongous explosion, right after it vanished… so did her signature…

"MIRA!" she screamed, rushing forward with reckless abandon, ignoring all danger signs that were flaring up in her mind like festival fireworks.

It was then that she felt it… an incredible amount of the darkest, most terrifying magical energy imaginable, almost worse than death. As impossible as it was, her eyes seemed to widen even more, with an even larger amount of fear coursing through her veins, almost shutting down coherent thought.

A vortex of pitch-black energy shot up into the sky, not far away from her. But, just as quickly as it appeared, it disappeared, leaving no trace of magic anywhere to be seen or felt…

Like the soft creaking of a slowly decaying tree, the sound of ripping flesh echoed throughout the forest, setting off an explosion of dread through the youngest Strauss.

Tears of fear and despair began to pool in her sapphire eyes, quickly flowing down her soft, pale skin.

"MIRA!" she screamed once again, crossing the rest of the forested distance between her and her older sister quicker than she had ever run before. When she arrived, she was met with a sight that made her blood run cold.

There, in the middle of a rather inconspicuous forest clearing, was an immense crater that could easily fit two Fairy Tail-sized buildings comfortably. However, the true clincher was that the scary man in black was crouching over his unmoving sister, looking at her with seeming appraisement, a small, rather creepy smile on his face.

When he ran a hand with apparent tenderness down her face, she lost semblance of thought as rage began to pour through her. How dare he touch her sister!

"GET AWAY FROM MY SISTER, YOU MONSTER!" she roared shrilly as she ran at him, prepared to viciously attack him and protect her sister… no matter how strong he was.

**"****Take Over: Animal Soul: Cat!" **

She glowed briefly, her extremities becoming striped and feline-like, with cat ears growing out of her hair and feline features on her face. She grew a tail out of her behind. A matching striped two-piece bikini that covered little of her modesty appeared, revealing rather supple curves.

She cried in righteous anger as she swiped at him, expecting him to at least dodge or block her attack. What she didn't expect, though, was that the stranger merely looked up and took the full brunt of her attack.

Her eyes widened in shock slightly. There was no injury whatsoever. Hell, his face did not budge a single inch to the blow.

"You should be thankful…" he began, not even looking at her, which infuriated her slightly. Was he mocking her?

He lifted his hand lackadaisically, placing two fingers on the sharp-clawed paw that was lodged on his face. Instantly, pain shot through her receptors as he applied unnaturally high pressure on her transformed wrist. And he didn't even seem to be trying…

"You should be thankful that I let your sister live…" he completed his statement, giving a deceptively small push that would have sent her arm flying away had it not been attached to her body. Using the almost extreme momentum, Lisanna was flung back, landing on her feet, her eyes wider than before as the transformation receded.

He seemed to be pointing somewhere, and when she looked, an involuntary gasp of horror left the confines of her lips as a hand flew to her mouth. There, with his throat practically torn out, gushing blood like a broken pipeline, was the battle-loving member of the Seven Kin of Purgatory, Azuma.

"W-Why…?" was all she could say… the horror was too great.

"Why I did such a thing is of no relevance to you," he replied, shaking his head. "However… _she_ interests me... and _that_ is why I let her live…"

He paused, breathing deeply while taking a few steps back. She took that as an invitation to retrieve her sister, and she didn't waste a single second in doing so. Cradling her head in her arms and chest, Lisanna was so busy looking over her sister that she did not notice the terrifying man appear right behind her.

"Ah…" he began, scaring the living daylights out of her. She jumped violently, somehow managing to keep Mirajane's head in place. She froze in fear when he leaned towards her, finally locking eyes with her…

However, that fear seemingly became a thing of yesterday when she looked into his eyes… They were the most beautiful silver she had ever seen in her entire life. It was as if she was instantly hypnotized, completely against her will.

A black beam of death zooming right next to her head served as an interruption to her reverie, allowing fear to overcome her once again… With a horror-stricken expression, she looked at him, unable to articulate anything with her slack jaw.

"_Ah… the powers of an Etherious within a human… The possibilities are _endless_…"_ he whispered as a shadow rose from the ground and began to engulf his body.

And with that… he was gone…

Lisanna sat there, frozen with fear, unable to move a single muscle. Silence rang throughout the forest, as not even the local fowl was making a single noise. Only the shallow breathing of Mirajane Strauss gave a semblance of life in the pit of death.

And only one thought managed to be processed by Lisanna Strauss…

_'__What is an Etherious…?'_

…

An explosion ensued in front of Ultear as she ran towards the magical signature of her surrogate little sister, Meredy. It was obvious that she was in the middle of a battle.

However, it was not against a single opponent, but two of them. One of them was blatantly familiar… the other wasn't. The familiar one was Fairy Tail's Titania, Erza Scarlet.

**"****Maguilty Sodom!"**

The youthful, melodious, yet dangerous voice of Meredy rang throughout the forest, quickly followed by a spike of magical energy and a whizzing sound heading away from her.

**"****Water Slicer!"**

A cry of pain rang, but it wasn't Meredy's, and it wasn't Erza Scarlet's…

Landing on a high branch of a tree, Ultear surveyed the area, her eyes quickly landing on the distinctive, waist-length wavy pink hair of her little sister.

How beautiful her sister was…

With her curvaceously gifted body hidden by a short, golden-trimmed red dress and a yellow belt tightly accentuating her slender waist, with a red cape over it with the Grimoire Heart symbol on the sides, black stockings and black boots, she was certainly amongst the most beautiful women Ultear had ever seen.

Suddenly, a certain redhead appeared behind her sister, two blades raised high. Ultear suppressed a gasp. It was Erza Scarlet, clad in what she quickly recognized as her **Heaven's Wheel Armor**.

Most of her upper body was exposed, the only covering being a plated armor that barely covered her voluptuous breasts. She had a long, billowing skirt with plates extending upwards, bending to the contours of her slim waist. However, the most noticeable aspects of the armor were the dual pairs of apparently bladed wings that shined with nigh ethereal beauty, making her seem like a true angel of the blade.

Meredy looked back, her eyes wide in surprise. It was obvious to Ultear… Meredy was not fast enough to evade the incoming slash.

**"****Ice Make: Dahlias!"**

Without a single thought in regards to her cover being blown, Ultear cast large, Dahlia flowers out of ice right in between Erza and Meredy, successfully blocking what would've been a fatal strike.

"What?!" cried out Erza in surprise as she wheeled her head around, searching for the unexpected addition into the struggle. The pink-haired beauty, however, instantly knew who it was.

"Ultear!" she cried out, joy lacing her expression for a few seconds before quickly remembering the precarious position she was in.

"_Speeding forth the flow of time, I will trap you in its course!"_ Ultear chanted, casting her hand forward, magically forcing a group of small plants to quickly race into adulthood and completely trapping Erza.

"Ultear Milkovich!" shouted Erza, gnashing her teeth tightly at the sight of _his_ former partner in crime.

"We meet again… Erza," Ultear taunted as she sauntered over to the restrained, fuming redhead. "However, our meeting must be cut painfully short. We have a meeting with _him_!"

"You found him?!" Meredy inquired, shocked.

"Yes!" cried Ultear devotionally. "And, he wants to meet _you_, Meredy!"

Not giving Meredy a chance to respond, she grabbed her arm and dragged her away, completely unaware of a blue-haired woman, another member of Fairy Tail if the blue guild mark on her thigh was any indication, that had risen from the water.

**"****Water Slicer!"**

Turning around at the new voice, Meredy and Ultear saw a crescent-shaped wave of water headed straight towards them, and it seemed to be boiling.

Slamming her right fist into her open left palm, Ultear threw both of her arms forward, creating her **Ice Make: Dahlias**. Both magical creations clashed, the water quickly melting the ice. But it served its purpose of shielding the two remaining members of the Kin. They quickly began running away from the Fairy Tail mages.

"Juvia! Stop them!" ordered Erza, grunting loudly in her efforts of freeing herself.

**"****Water Slicer!" **

The now named Juvia launched multiple crescents of water that somewhat resembled scythes and slashed through the trees holding the redhead.

**"****Water Lock!"**

Without a single break, Juvia turned her attention towards the two fleeing women, materializing a large sphere of water that attempted to trap them. Noticing this, Meredy jumped out of the way while Ultear turned over and froze the entirety of the sphere singlehandedly.

Using her **Arc of Time**, Ultear sent it flying towards the two Fairy Tail Mages, who deftly evaded the enormous ball of ice.

**"****Requip!" **

A yellow glow permeated the battlefield, originating from Erza. It was her trademark magic, **Requip: The Knight**. When the glow died down, it revealed her in a rather skimpy cheetah-themed armor. Two short swords appeared in her hands, and she flourished them slightly.

However, the moment after, she disappeared in a blur of supersonic speed…

_'__Shit…'_ thought Ultear, gritting her teeth. '_That speed is dangerous. She's almost as fast as Lord Natsu!'_

**"****Maguilty Sodom!"**

Meredy, raising her hand, summoned a large amount of ethereal blades of a teal color, and with a simple flick, sent them towards the blur that was Erza Scarlet.

**"****Ice Make: Rosen Krone!"**

Slamming her fist into her palm, Ultear created a multitude of large ice roses resting upon spiked branches of ice that snaked their way forward, attempting to snag the redhead speedster.

**"****Sonic Claw!"**

With a simple flourish of her sword, the nigh untraceable Erza became truly untraceable, releasing a small shockwave that disrupted the ground. Her swords swayed almost hypnotically, slicing through the ice and incredible speeds. Instantly appearing behind her two enemies, she raised her swords high, ready to bring their ends.

"This is the end, Ultear Milkovich!" she shouted as she brought her deadly blades down.

However, they never struck…

"Now, now… That's not very nice…" a cool, male voice spoke mockingly.

Angry at _this_ unexpected interruption, Erza wanted to turn and slice whoever caused it to bits! But, she couldn't move. Looking up, her eyes widened in shock. Holding her weapons steadfastly in place were two small, pitch-black tendrils of what seemed to be shadows.

_'__**Shadow Magic**__… but it isn't coming from Milkovich, and surely not from the pinky!'_ she raged mentally. '_Who…?!'_

She got her answer right away, for from the darkness of the forest under the trees' canopy emerged a young man clad in black with spiky black hair. But, she wasn't looking at that…

She was looking at the most amazing pale silver eyes she had ever seen in her entire life. They almost seemed to shine in the darkening dusk, providing the light in her darkening path. She was captivated almost instantly by them.

"Is that… _him_?" she recognized Meredy's voice speaking so close to her, yet so far. "Is that… _Lord Zeref_…?"

The name struck Erza like a speeding train. Her eyes as wide as they could go, she turned to the Grimoire Heart mages, quickly taking note of Meredy's awed look and Ultear's unrestrainedly devotional expression. Turning back to the now named Zeref, she couldn't hold back the storm of emotions that began to surge within her.

In front of her was the man that possessed her best friend Jellal and almost had her sacrificed in his name. In front of her was the man that had caused years of suffering and despair in a tower built in his name. In front of her was the man that _caused the death of Simon_! All of that happened _in his name_!

"Z-Zeref…" she muttered shakily, barely able to control her raging anger and hatred of the man. Never before had she hated someone to such an extent… and she had not even met the man!

"You're late, Ultear…" stated Natsu, completely ignoring the seething Erza.

"W-What…?" asked Ultear, completely out of her devotional trance, a look of nigh horror taking its place.

"I told you to be there by 30 minutes time, yet 31 minutes and 47 seconds have passed…" he quipped matter-of-factly.

"W-Wait, my L-Lord…"

"You're Zeref?" interrupted Erza, red magical energy seeping out of her body, increasing steadily.

"Oh…?" whispered Natsu with a raised brow, slightly intrigued at the increasing magical pressure he felt emanating from the skimpily-clad redhead. Without so much as a warning, the redhead was right in front of him, slashing right through him. His eyes widened slightly, but they didn't seem pained. As if in slow motion, his bisected body drifted apart, but no blood came out…

"LORD NATSU!" Ultear shrilly screamed, her eyes wide in shock. Her shock increased, though, when the halves of Natsu simply flickered into nonexistence.

"Intriguing… Dare I guess that your impressive speed is due to that armor of yours?" spoke Natsu as he appeared behind Erza, completely unharmed. Everyone wheeled towards him and stared in absolute shock. "Then, for curiousness' sake, I must ask… Is _that_ your top speed?"

"H-H-How…?" muttered Erza, not believing her own eyes. "How did you… escape that…?"

"Ultear… take Meredy to the place we met…" Natsu ordered, ignoring Erza's query and causing the addressees to straighten up. "I'll meet you there."

"O-Of course… Lord Natsu," replied Ultear shakily as she took Meredy's arm and ran off.

Erza made no move to stop them, deciding to focus on the new, obviously more powerful enemy that had appeared. But one question ran through her mind… Who was this man? He obviously was not from around, if those heavenly silver eyes were any indication. She felt the horrifying burst of magical energy from afar, and for some odd reason, her mind attributed that to him. But, at this moment, she could feel nothing! And he somehow evaded her deadly slash!

"How did you survive that attack?" Erza demanded of him. "You should've been killed!"

"Call it an illusion?" offered Natsu offhandedly.

"I'm immune to illusions!" she roared.

"Oh…?" he inquired, raising an eyebrow, his interest flaring up ever so slightly. "Rather crucial information to give out just like that, don't you think?"

He paused and sighed softly, looking straight at her eyes. Erza felt stripped under the intense scrutiny, as if he were looking straight into her soul, exposing all of her darkest secrets.

"It's your right eye," he claimed, snapping her out of her reverie. "It's artificial, correct?"

_'__He got that just by looking at me for a few seconds?!'_ she thought, astonished.

"Enough talk," he interrupted her thoughts once again. "I have things to take care of…"

And with that, he lazily raised a finger, about to fire a conjured black orb, but…

**"****Water Nebula!"**

Two columns of water, rotating around each other like a helix, rushed at Natsu at incredible speeds, intent on striking him with massive force. He quickly turned around and fired the beam, completely cancelling out the incoming attack while spraying the entirety of the battlefield with water.

**"****Sonic Claw!"**

It happened so fast…

The moment Natsu cancelled out the elemental attack, Erza was upon him, ready to bisect him once again. What she did not see, though, was the blade of black energy that had formed on his left hand.

Wheeling around once again as he conjured a black energy blade on his right hand, Natsu parried all strikes that lashed out against him from all directions. After blocking a particularly vicious slash to his right side and pushing it away, he rotated on his right foot and planted his left into her exposed gut.

Gasping in pain, Erza flew back and landed on her feet, skidding for a couple of meters before she stopped.

Sensing another attack coming from behind him, Natsu disappeared in a blur of speed and reappeared behind the attacker, a blue-haired woman with a torn blue long-sleeve shirt and torn blue skirt.

He lightly chopped the side of the girl's neck, causing her to choke out a gasp and fall to the ground, unconscious.

"JUVIA!" screamed Erza in horror. However, that horror was momentary, for it quickly became unrestrained rage. "RAAAAGH! I'LL KILL YOU!"

She lunged at him, faster than before. She swung wildly at him, slashing trees in half as he frustratingly evaded every single one of her strikes. She swung faster and harder, but to no avail. No matter how much harder she pushed herself to be faster, he seemed to spontaneously boost ahead of her. It infuriated her even further…

Slapping one of her swords away with his bare hand was all Natsu needed to shock her senseless. With her guard down, he took the opportunity, grabbing her neck and slamming her into a tree. He bored into her eyes with his, sending shivers down her spine.

"You wish to kill me, yet your power is so abysmally low," he spoke, a small smile playing on his lips. "You haven't even unlocked your **Second Origin**. It makes me wonder… Why is your power so low, when your potential demands it to be _so much_ _higher_?"

"W-W-Why do y-you care?" she asked, barely keeping the fear out of her eyes and tone.

"You interest me…" was all he said before he released her and let her struggle to regain her footing. "You have incredible will, will to face down the most insurmountable of odds… like this moment, for example. Somewhere in your mind, you knew you stood no chance against me… that my power, unknown as it was, was far beyond yours, yet you still fought. That's one…"

Erza did not dare question what the next reason could possibly be. She did not want to know. The aura of this man screamed absolute, deadly danger, yet at the same time it was absolutely alluring. How would such a thing happen?

"Who are you…?" she inquired softly, straightening up.

"Hmm… the name's Natsu… Natsu Ravenwood," he introduced himself, apparently not wanting to give her the second reason. "No need to introduce yourself, Erza Scarlet. I know who you are… Now, if you'll excuse me, I have business to take care of."

"Wait!" she called out, but to no avail. He was already gone, swallowed up by a shadow.

She sighed, her mind still processing the events that had happened the past few minutes. She couldn't believe it. Never in her life had she felt so outclassed, so unable… so _weak_. Juvia was out cold, and she could not do anything to stop it. It baffled her completely. And _she_ was supposed to be one of the _strongest_ mages in Fairy Tail!

Gently picking up the unconscious Juvia in a bridal style, one thought ran through her mind as she focused her senses on the Master's magical signature.

_'__Just _who_ are you, Natsu Ravenwood?'_

…

"Ultear, why did _he _stay over there?" Meredy questioned as she and Ultear arrived on the clearing specified by him.

"I honestly have no idea, Meredy," she replied, shrugging.

"Hmm…" hummed Meredy, leaning on a tree while playing around with her pink hair. "What did you say his name was?"

Ultear did not answer, though…

"Natsu Ravenwood…" spoke a male voice as the eerily gallant enigma that was Natsu Ravenwood emerged from the darkness.

"Lord Natsu!" cried Ultear in surprise. However, when she remembered what he had said a few minutes ago, she paled and began sweating.

"Natsu… Ravenwood?" repeated Meredy, slightly confused. "You bear _his_ name… What is your relation?"

"Zeref Ravenwood… was my grandfather," replied Natsu, a hint of pride in his voice.

Meredy's eyes widened in awe. How could they not? Meeting a direct descendant of one of the most powerful wizards of all time was not an everyday thing.

"A direct descendant of Lord Zeref in front of me… _Amazing_…" she breathed, unable to mask her awe. However, a small doubt filtered through. "But, why speak to _me_?"

"Well, you'll find out soon now, won't you?" he replied evasively, smiling mysteriously while casting his hypnotic gaze on her.

Worked like a charm…

Meredy blushed deeply when she locked her emerald eyes with his lunar silver ones. It took all of her willpower to tear her gaze away from those heavenly eyes.

But, everything changed the moment they turned blood-red…

Raw, oppressive magical power began to emanate from Natsu, manifesting in a blazing, pitch-black aura that engulfed her entirely. It pressed on Meredy from all around, feeling as if she had sunk hundreds of feet under the sea.

Horror…

That was all Meredy could feel as she fell to her knees, her legs unable to support her own weight. Her gaze, against her will, was drawn to his chilling blood-red orbs of hell. And they locked, unable to be moved no matter how hard she tried.

Why was he doing this? Did he do this to Ultear? Was this the reason she was so devotional to him, but, at the same time, so terrified of him?

The eyes seemed to grow out of their sockets, burning the largest of holes into her fragile soul. She involuntarily shook, whimpering softly as the energy began to seep within her.

It all became worse when a slit adorned those already demonic eyes of his…

An even viler pressure came upon her, worse than what Master Hades could ever hope to muster, even with his **Demon's Eye** and **Nemesis** activated.

Horrific scenes of blood, gore and destruction seemed to flash before her eyes, with blood-curdling screams serving as the background music. The place shown was… horribly familiar.

_"__Why do you follow Ultear so?" _asked a seemingly ethereal voice, sounding eerily like Natsu's.

She tried to answer, but, for the love of everything that was holy, she couldn't! She was completely paralyzed. The horror was too great!

_"__You love Ultear? Even after what she did to you?"_ the voice asked.

Dread at what was coming next began to fill her, compiling with the monumental fear. An image flared up. It was Ultear, with her hands covered in blood and an evil smile on her face. In the background was… her family…

_"__You love her even after she destroyed your village and killed your entire family?!"_

If possible, Meredy's eyes widened even further. Overwhelmed by despair, she began to fall deep into the confines of her mind, causing her eyes to glaze slightly in apparent emptiness. A surge of emotion raged through her, though, giving her enough willpower to maintain her sanity.

"I…" she tried, miraculously managing to speak. "I… don't… care…"

Natsu raised an eyebrow, intrigued by her flaring will.

Reinforced, Meredy attempted to speak louder. "I… don't care!"

Placing both of her hands in front of her as support, she began to push herself up, the sheer strain showing in her face.

"I don't… care about that!" she growled loudly, managing to push herself into a crouching position. "That's the… past!"

She screamed in effort, shakily pushing herself to her feet. Maintaining her balance, she glared at the overwhelming darkness.

"Ultear is my present and my future!" she roared in defiance. "I DON'T CARE ABOUT WHAT SHE DID IN THE PAST!"

In a split second, the vile magical pressure was gone completely, the vortex disappearing with it.

"Oh, dear. I think I gave away my presence…" Natsu spoke in a mock-worried tone. However, his body language gave a completely different message.

Meredy was back in Tenrou Island, quickly taking notice of the barren clearing that greeted her.

"Meredy!" Ultear's angelic voice rang, sending massive shivers of relief through Meredy's body. Strong yet feminine arms embraced her, a supple feminine body pressing onto hers.

"Ultear…" choked Meredy, allowing small tears to flow.

"There, there…"

"I'm impressed, Meredy," Natsu spoke suddenly, making the pink-haired beauty jump slightly. "You showed great will and unwavering loyalty, traits I seek in my subordinates."

"Yes… Lord Natsu," she whispered, not daring to chance a glance at him. Those red eyes… she did not want to see them _ever _again.

"You pass the test," he proclaimed, shocking both females slightly. He turned his head slightly and gave her a small smile.

"W-W-What…?" was all Meredy could say.

"All of this was a test to see if your will and loyalty were strong enough," Natsu explained, turning around fully. "And I daresay you have satisfied those requirements. And for that, I offer you the chance to become one of my subordinates. Ultear has done it already."

"But… what about Grimoire Heart?" she couldn't help but ask.

Natsu sighed deeply. "The guild I created will fall today. Of that, there is no doubt. Precht was a weak, incompetent and easily manipulated fool."

They couldn't believe what they had heard… Lord Natsu had created Grimoire Heart?

"You mean you… created our guild?" Meredy couldn't help but ask, wanting to confirm the unbelievable revelation she had just been told.

"Yes," Natsu answered. "But now, the fairies will defeat them. Before that happens, though, I need to pay Precht a visit to… take back what's mine…"

Silence ruled for a few minutes. The girls were thankful for that, since the information they had just received was taking rather long to be processed.

"Come, Meredy," beckoned Natsu with a small nod. Hesitating, Meredy walked over to him, still not looking straight at him. However, that changed when he, to her great surprise, tenderly grabbed her chin and made her face him. Emerald locked with lunar silver. She couldn't help the blush that quickly crept back up.

"Do you pledge your unwavering loyalty to me, Meredy?" he asked softly, his eyes shining in the dying day.

Meredy's eyes glazed over, her breathing becoming slightly heavy and husky.

"I do… Lord Natsu… My loyalty… completely belongs to you…" she declared breathily.

"Good!" he exclaimed, caressing her face with a softness that was unbefitting of a dark, serial-killing wizard.

"Orders, Lord Natsu?" asked Ultear, kneeling before him, her eyes glued to the ground.

"Hmm, first and foremost, you must answer a query of mine… Why were you late?" he began, releasing the blushing Meredy and letting her step back.

Sweating slightly, Ultear stood back up and locked eyes with him. "I initially expected to find Meredy by herself. I did not bring the possibility of her being involved in a scuffle into account, especially with one such as Erza Scarlet."

"I see. Reasonable excuse, indeed. I measured your powers, and, surprisingly, hers were higher than yours, if ever so slightly," he muttered.

"A-Am I to be punished, my L-Lord?" she questioned.

"No, you are pardoned," he replied. "Very well. Now that _that's_ taken care of… Here are your orders."

Meredy and Ultear listened with rapt attention, unwilling to let a single word slip by.

"With the rest of the Kin dead," he began, ignoring the small gasps from the ladies. "Precht will, most likely, dispatch Bluenote Stinger to the island to check on the brats. Let the fairies deal with Bluenote."

They nodded vigorously, waiting for more.

"You," he continued, "will find a clearing far away from this one and hide yourselves. No matter where you are, I will find you, so there is no need to spike up your magical energy."

"Very well, my Lord," replied Ultear, acknowledging the order.

"Good, now go. Time is of the essence here, and you must not allow yourselves to be discovered," he commanded sternly.

"Yes, Lord Natsu! We will not disappoint you!" stated both Ultear and Meredy. They were about to leave when he stopped them with a hand.

"No matter what happens, stay hidden," he warned. "I suspect things will get a bit… _dangerous_ in the next few hours."

They nodded, a serious expression adorning their features, before disappearing into the forest.

Natsu smiled wickedly.

"Good… Your time has come, Precht… _Your_ incompetence shall be removed _very soon_…"

…

* * *

><p><em><strong>And that is it for this chapter!<strong>_

_**Tenrou Island is heating up! The imminent confrontation between all of Fairy Tail and Natsu Ravenwood approaches! What will happen when the fairies meet the hypnotizing harbinger of death? Stay tuned!**_

_**But, for now, it's still a few more minor battles before the big boss fight! Oh, and, since finals are over, I will try to have the chapter for LDS Natsu out by next week, but... things might happen. Oh, whatever, enough of my incessant rambling.**_

_**Anyways, thank you for reading!**_

_**Please! Review, review, review!**_

_**Until next time! Ciao!**_


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